Sen. Buhl: Abortion Bill Doesn't Help Women
Air Date:03/02/2011
By Jackelyn Severin
A measure reforming South Dakota’s abortion law passed the Senate. Among other provisions House Bill 1217 institutes a 72-hour waiting period and requires women seek counseling at pregnancy help centers before receiving an abortion.
Proponents of House Bill 1217 say it insures women are more informed and protects them being forced into having an unwanted abortion.
Senator Angie Buhl of Sioux Falls says the measure does nothing to help women or prevent coerced abortions. Rather, she says, it violates women’s rights and makes them share private information with unlicensed counselors.
"It mandates that a woman go to a crisis pregnancy center, not a licensed counselor or a therapist of her choosing, before she can terminate a pregnancy," Buhl says. "Crisis pregnancy centers are unregulated, volunteer agencies that have been known to provide inaccurate medical information to women. I think that, as a legislative body, we should have a vested interest in making sure women get accurate information before they go through any medical procedure."
Buhl says a lawsuit will follow the passage of this bill. She says the Attorney General estimates litigation will cost the state more than a million dollars. Senators approved the bill by a vote of 21 to 13. It now goes to the governor.
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