South Dakota lawmakers moved forward with legislation Friday that would require women seeking abortions to be informed that an abortion ends the life of a unique human being.
The Rapid City Journal reports state Senate Bill 110 also accuses Planned Parenthood by name of being “unreliable” and failing to provide unbiased informed consent to women prior to abortions.
It passed the Senate State Affairs Committee in a 6-2 vote Friday.
Under the bill, women seeking abortions would receive information that an abortion ends the life of “a whole, separate, unique, living human being,” according to the report. It also requires that women be informed of the physical and psychological risks of abortion.
The bill also notes that the Planned Parenthood in Sioux Falls performs 98 percent of all abortions in the state.
“The Legislature finds that the physicians, agents, and employees who perform or assist in the performance of abortions at the Planned Parenthood facility in Sioux Falls, South Dakota have proven to be unreliable providers and counselors of the disclosures required by [state law],” the bill states.
Here’s more from the report:
Prime sponsor is Sen. Al Novstrup, R-Aberdeen. Besides making repeated accusations against Planned Parenthood, the bill seeks to expand legal authority for pregnancy help centers.
The centers would be required to provide a statement orally and in writing to the pregnant mother. The statement would say an abortion would terminate the life of “a whole, separate, unique, living human being” and the centers would be required make certain the mothers understand the statement.
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The bill also would require centers to discuss “the physical or psychological risks to a woman posed by an abortion.”
Planned Parenthood at its Sioux Falls facility provides 98 percent of the abortions in South Dakota, according to the legislation. The term ‘Planned Parenthood’ was used at least nine times in the original bill that Novstrup filed.
The state and Planned Parenthood have been involved in a legal battle over state informed consent laws for years.
