S. Dakota House Committee Approves Parental Notification Bill; Senate Committee Approves Three Abortion-Related Bills

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 26 Feb 2005 - 21:00 PDT

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The South Dakota House State Affairs Committee on Wednesday approved 10-1 a bill... (SB 193) that would require parents to be notified within 24 hours of "emergency abortions" performed on their minor daughters, the AP/Aberdeen American News reports (Brokaw, AP/Aberdeen American News, 2/23). The measure also would tighten the current state definition of a parent to ensure that nonparents cannot take minors across state lines to access abortion services. The measure includes a clause that would allow minors to seek a court order to avoid parental notification for emergency abortions. The state Senate approved the measure earlier this month (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 2/18). The measure now goes to the full state House (AP/Aberdeen American News, 2/23).

Senate Committee Action
The Senate State Affairs Committee on Wednesday approved three bills that would restrict abortion access in the state, the Associated Press reports. Each of the measures now goes to the state Senate for consideration (Kafka, Associated Press, 2/23). Details of the bills are below.

• HB 1166: The measure would require doctors to provide more information to women seeking abortions in the state. The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Roger Hunt (R), would declare that abortion terminates the life of a human being and require physicians to more fully inform women about the risks and consequences of abortion and alternatives to the procedure, such as adoption. The measure also would establish that women have a relationship with the fetus until birth and that the state has an interest in protecting that relationship.
  


• HB 1233: The bill would establish a task force to study abortion. Under the measure, which also was sponsored by Hunt, the task force would report its findings to the state Legislature and the governor by Dec. 1. The House State Affairs Committee earlier this month unanimously approved the bill (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 2/11).
  


• HB 1249: The measure would ban abortion in the state unless the procedure could save the life of a pregnant woman. Under the bill, anyone who performs an abortion procedure could be charged with a felony and sentenced to up to two years in prison, but women who undergo illegal abortions would not be charged. However, the measure would go into effect only if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which voided state abortion bans. The state House approve the measure earlier this month (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 2/16).
  

"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/repro The Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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