South Dakota Abortion Ruling Forces Doctors To Read Script About "Unique Living Human Being"

In a victory for antiabortion forces, doctors in South Dakota are now required to tell a woman seeking an abortion that the procedure "will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique living human being."

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit last week lifted a preliminary injunction that prevented the language from taking effect. A spokesman for Planned Parenthood, which runs the state's only abortion clinic, said doctors will begin reciting the script to patients as early as this week.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[thenicerguy]

During the Vietnam War, the middle class only began to march in the peace rallies when some of their sons came home in wooden boxes. It is a sad and sick but true fact that that is the only way to make Americans see the light -- when their children get killed. It the same for car safety, pollution, drug addiction, drunk driving....

And now, perhaps, with abortion. When the daughters of South Dakota families start dying, horribly and painfully from botched back-alley abortions -- and that will happen -- then perhaps the public will see the error of their ways in supporting this evil policy.

[andvoodoo2]

I have been a reproductive rights activist for more than 20 years. Back in the late 80s and early 90s, Operation Rescue used to have these massive assaults on women's clinics in a different city, every year for about 10 days around Easter. They would attempt to blockade the clinics to keep patients from getting inside. I would travel to the city OR had targeted and stay there with other activists and oppose OR's attempts. We would train locals and worked closely with the clinics, doctors and local and federal law enforcement to assist them in minimizing OR's impact on the clinics and the community.
One year, OR chose MY city, New Orleans, as the Easter week target. I called my friends. I called upon women I KNEW were pro-choice (they had all had at least one abortion). I called upon women who had praised me for my work on the behalf of women everywhere. I asked them to come help. "Come be a number, hold a sign and show them we outnumber them", I asked.

Guess what? They were all busy. Not one of them could be bothered with working to uphold a right that meant something to them.

That's when I learned a lesson: Americans are lazy.
American women will do nothing UNTIL they lose their right to have an abortion on demand. Then, and only then, we'll see women (and men) marching in the streets. And meanwhile, women will die from illegal, back alley, botched abortions.

[Retrofuturistic]

I don't understand why men want to CONTROL women, why they FORCE them to have unwanted children. That's all that religion is about--- CONTROL.

If it's about forcing a woman to stay with you--- what joy could there be in having someone around who is forced to be there? Men should understand that the affection of a woman, freely given, is worth much more than something that is forced. And they should understand that a woman can only parent well when it is her choice to do so.

[Mort]

Requiring a person to be informed doesn't harm them or hamper their right to choose. Abortion shouldn't be a casual decision, and neither should having unprotected sex. Education is as vital as personal responsibility.

[3dtrix]

Forced indoctrination of propaganda ("living being") is not "becoming informed". No amount of "becoming informed" that I have a brother I know I don't have will create a truth about his existence.

[truthynesslover]

I dont think its propaganda to point out that one is ending the exsistence of anoughter living entity maybe they will be more responsible and use better birth control next time?

[andvoodoo2]

Only a man could call abortion "a casual decision". Go spend some time working with women who have had an abortion (I have). NO woman has an abortion without thinking it through and weighing all of her options. To make a woman have to listen to the little S. Dakota guilt trip sermon is to treat a woman like a second class citizen without a working brain.
BTW, not every pregnancy is the result of "unprotected sex". Condoms fail. The Pill fails and so does every other method of birth control INCLUDING tubal ligation.
And, punishing a woman with apregnancy she doesn't want for having unprotected sex is frankly, sick.

[mistlesuede]

Hope the PUMA's are reading this story. Still want to vote for McSame?

[DrCalif]

Here again a reactionary agenda is being used to shame, bully, and intimidate women trying to follow through on one of the most difficult decisions anyone could make. The people who sponsored this brilliant move ought to be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

[sagebrush5]

Did the US broadcast this same message in the cockpits before innocent ...and "totally unique individual" Iraquis were bombed? Or are some individuals more "totally unique" than others? Did they explain to whomever pulled triggers that bombings "will terminate the life of whole, separate, unique living human beings"??

[the964kid]

Both North and South Dakota are extremely conservative - anybody who wants to live in reality should seriously consider moving. If I remember correctly South Dakota is the worst state for abortion rights in the country. Pro-choice voters are simply out-numbered by the pro-life/pro death penalty right wing machine.

[ChiGuy]

Boycott ANY state that restricts a woman's right to choose.

http://www.cafepress.com/massmadness.115243259

[cgpunker]

Oh, thank you religious right. You zealots. You hypocrites.

I know life is complicated and all kinds of people live in this world, but I've never personally known a woman to choose abortion lightly. Counseling is important, harassment is not.

[jcwtts1]

Hey, you know what we should all do... keep undermining Obama and threatening to vote for McCain because that helps all women.... how.... I keep forgetting that part.... but anyway, "boo Obama, boo... Hillary got 18 million votes, sexism is the only ism in the world.... boo"

J

one more vote on the court and these people will run this country for the next 40 years. Give money and time and effort to Obama. It is really this freakin serious.

[WFV]

This is truly hideous. Like women make this decision lightly, and then they have to be subjected to this. Women who feel they need to have an abortion have enough to deal with, without this guilt trip. They should be truly ashamed of themselves.

[lisakaz2]

Another use for manipulating gas prices -- keep women at home where they cannot find a way to end a pregnancy safely.

[OneWoman]

"Also, the doctor is required to say that "abortion increases the risk of suicide ideation and suicide."

Oh, don't go there! As if Motherhood is without risk! What about post-partum depression?
I think we could find plenty of information demonstrating Motherhood "increases the risk of suicide [sic] ideation and suicide" AND homicidal ideation and homicide. This is not the line of argument they want to be taking...

[mscriblerus]

This is interesting. I had been thinking that in the absence of R v W, there would be little change to abortion rights (states' rights or not, I figured public sentiment would impede any changes). Guess I was wrong.....And since women make up the majority of voters everywhere, I guess I'm also a little surprised.

[lthuedk 1]

Of course, that would include an innocent Iraqi fetus or child or parent or grandparent blown up or shot? Right?

http://www.light-to-dark.com/schiavo.html