House approves abortion regulation
Posted: Thursday, February 21, 2008
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- Final approval came Wednesday in the South Dakota Legislature for a measure that adds to state abortion regulations.
A bill passed 38-32 by the House will require abortion doctors to ask women if they want to see sonograms of their fetuses.
SB88 would not require women to look at the ultrasound images, said Rep. Keri Weems, R-Sioux Falls.
"In no way is this forcing a woman to look at a sonogram if she doesn't want to," Weems explained.
Opponents said the measure interferes with the doctor-patient relationship and adds to already burdensome abortion regulations.
"This is a harassment bill," said Rep. Eldon Nygaard, D-Vermillion.
Doctors already do sonograms to determine the stage of pregnancy and protect themselves from malpractice lawsuits, said Rep. Roger Hunt, R-Brandon. Women who get abortions pay for those sonograms and should be asked if they want to see them, he said.
Asking women if they would like to see sonograms may cause more of them to change their minds about abortions, Hunt added.
"All that this does is require that doctor performing the abortion to fully inform the woman of all of the same medical information that that abortion doctor has access to," he said.
"All we're doing is wanting to make sure that the woman who is making a decision about her unborn child is fully informed," Hunt said.
Planned Parenthood, which does abortions at its Sioux Falls clinic, said South Dakota already has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation.
SB88 will not prevent unintended pregnancies or reduce the need for abortions, said Kate Looby, Planned Parenthood state director.
"We are in favor of women receiving all of the information they need to make private health care decisions," she said. "We're opposed to politicians like Roger Hunt practicing medicine. Doctors, not politicians, should decide what information and care is best for their patients."
Linda Schauer, state director of Concerned Women for America, praised the House for passing the bill. Women considering abortions cannot get too much information, she said.
"The sonogram image, known as the window to the womb, allows a woman to be fully informed about the development of her unborn child and to make the best decision about her baby's future," Schauer said.
"Uninformed choices have led countless women to suffer devastating psychological, physical, spiritual and emotional consequences for the rest of their lives," she added.
Schauer said abortion doctors are not showing sonograms to women but are instead turning the screens away from them. She said 12 states have laws requiring doctors to offer the chance to view sonograms.
The legislation was passed earlier by the Senate and now goes to Gov. Mike Rounds, who is opposed to abortion. A similar bill is pending in the Senate.
SB88 would forbid doctors from doing abortions unless they first ask women if they would like to see their sonograms.
Rep. Deb Peters, R-Hartford, who opposes abortion, urged defeat of the bill. The state has ample restraints on those who do abortions, she said.
"We're talking about personal issues. This goes too far," Peters argued.
The most recent federal court ruling on South Dakota's abortion regulations has characterized them as robust, said Rep. Joni Cutler, R-Sioux Falls, who also voted against SB88.
"It's pretty clear that there are times when it would not be helpful to a woman, in fact, it would be cruel to suggest that she look at the sonogram," Cutler said.
"We can't keep invading the right that the patients have and the right that the doctors have not only to speak but at times not to speak to that patient," she said.
Rep. Don Van Etten, R-Rapid City, said the bill should be passed because it's clear that many women still are not fully educated when it comes to abortion. It is not possible to give them too much information, he said.
A bill passed 38-32 by the House will require abortion doctors to ask women if they want to see sonograms of their fetuses.
SB88 would not require women to look at the ultrasound images, said Rep. Keri Weems, R-Sioux Falls.
"In no way is this forcing a woman to look at a sonogram if she doesn't want to," Weems explained.
Opponents said the measure interferes with the doctor-patient relationship and adds to already burdensome abortion regulations.
"This is a harassment bill," said Rep. Eldon Nygaard, D-Vermillion.
Doctors already do sonograms to determine the stage of pregnancy and protect themselves from malpractice lawsuits, said Rep. Roger Hunt, R-Brandon. Women who get abortions pay for those sonograms and should be asked if they want to see them, he said.
Asking women if they would like to see sonograms may cause more of them to change their minds about abortions, Hunt added.
"All that this does is require that doctor performing the abortion to fully inform the woman of all of the same medical information that that abortion doctor has access to," he said.
"All we're doing is wanting to make sure that the woman who is making a decision about her unborn child is fully informed," Hunt said.
Planned Parenthood, which does abortions at its Sioux Falls clinic, said South Dakota already has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation.
SB88 will not prevent unintended pregnancies or reduce the need for abortions, said Kate Looby, Planned Parenthood state director.
"We are in favor of women receiving all of the information they need to make private health care decisions," she said. "We're opposed to politicians like Roger Hunt practicing medicine. Doctors, not politicians, should decide what information and care is best for their patients."
Linda Schauer, state director of Concerned Women for America, praised the House for passing the bill. Women considering abortions cannot get too much information, she said.
"The sonogram image, known as the window to the womb, allows a woman to be fully informed about the development of her unborn child and to make the best decision about her baby's future," Schauer said.
"Uninformed choices have led countless women to suffer devastating psychological, physical, spiritual and emotional consequences for the rest of their lives," she added.
Schauer said abortion doctors are not showing sonograms to women but are instead turning the screens away from them. She said 12 states have laws requiring doctors to offer the chance to view sonograms.
The legislation was passed earlier by the Senate and now goes to Gov. Mike Rounds, who is opposed to abortion. A similar bill is pending in the Senate.
SB88 would forbid doctors from doing abortions unless they first ask women if they would like to see their sonograms.
Rep. Deb Peters, R-Hartford, who opposes abortion, urged defeat of the bill. The state has ample restraints on those who do abortions, she said.
"We're talking about personal issues. This goes too far," Peters argued.
The most recent federal court ruling on South Dakota's abortion regulations has characterized them as robust, said Rep. Joni Cutler, R-Sioux Falls, who also voted against SB88.
"It's pretty clear that there are times when it would not be helpful to a woman, in fact, it would be cruel to suggest that she look at the sonogram," Cutler said.
"We can't keep invading the right that the patients have and the right that the doctors have not only to speak but at times not to speak to that patient," she said.
Rep. Don Van Etten, R-Rapid City, said the bill should be passed because it's clear that many women still are not fully educated when it comes to abortion. It is not possible to give them too much information, he said.
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cindy wrote on Feb 22, 2008 6:19 PM: