Biased Counseling and Mandatory Delay
Anti-choice groups deliberately refer to these requirements, incorrectly, as “informed consent” or “women’s right to know” laws. These laws aren’t about “informing women;” in reality, they require doctors to subject women to unscientific, ideological lectures. In South Dakota, a 2005 law that was recently upheld by the 8th circuit would require providers to tell the woman that abortion ends "the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being," that she has a relationship with the "unborn human being" and this relationship is protected under law, and that the relationship and the constitutional rights she enjoys with regards to that relationship will end when she has an abortion. NARAL Pro-Choice South Dakota strongly supports women being given medically and scientifically-accurate information before any medical procedure. We do not support government forcing women to listen to unscientific, ideological opinion. |
