PIERRE, S.D.–(ENEWSPF)–March 22, 2011. The governor of South Dakota signed into law today a bill that requires any woman seeking an abortion to first visit anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs) and report the name of the physician providing the abortion to CPC staff. The law also requires a woman to wait 72 hours between meeting with her physician in person and obtaining the abortion. This is the longest mandated abortion waiting period in the country. CPCs are unregulated facilities that are primarily run by private groups that seek to discourage women from having abortions, often by promoting false information. CPCs are also not required to follow standard medical privacy procedures that ensure a patient’s medical information is kept confidential. The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of South Dakota and Planned Parenthood Federation of America will file a legal challenge to the law.
