SD Panel Approves Longer Abortion Wait
by Associated Press
February 15, 2013 1:18 PM
A South Dakota House committee has approved a bill that could require some women seeking abortions to wait longer after first consulting with a doctor.
South Dakota already has the longest waiting period in the nation at three days.
The Judiciary Committee voted 9-2 to endorse a bill that would provide that Saturdays, Sundays and holidays do not count in calculating the three-day wait.
The measure's main sponsor, Rep. Jon Hansen of Dell Rapids, says women need time to reflect and get counseling before getting abortions. Opponents say the bill puts additional barriers on a women's constitutional right to get an abortion.
Hansen withdrew another measure that would have prevented someone from suing a doctor who failed to let them know a fetus had a physical or mental disability.
