Too Stupid To Make Your Own Decision To Abort? Governor Dennis Daugaard Of South Dakota Thinks So

For those of you who don’t know, South Dakota recently passed a law imposing a 72-hour wait period for women seeking an abortion. The law also requires that women attend religiously-affiliated crisis centers with noncertified counselors. The law not only imposes serious financial restrictions on women who really can’t afford to wait round an extra three days for their constitutionally protected right, but also assumes that women are too dumb to determine what’s best for them. A new comment by Gov. Dennis Daugaard‘s spokesperson alludes to women’s inability to fully comprehend the decision to terminate a pregnancy.

Reuters reported:

Daugaard spokesman Joe Kafka has said the restriction requires women to put “a little more thought and a little additional time” into the abortion decision.

After considering her options with her family, partner, or other extended family (should they be in the picture) and choosing on the procedure, I find it exceedingly condescending that Gov. Daugaard feels the need to remind women of the decision that they have made. And considering that six in ten women who receive abortions in this country are already mothers, it’s pretty safe to conclude that many of them understand what awaits them — should they carry the pregnancy to term or not.

Regardless of where you fall on the issue of abortion, policies like these seek to undermine women by reminding them that they are not capable of making big life choices on their own. The idea that women should be “required to put a little more thought” into a procedure that is both safe and legal speaks to South Dakota’s mistrust and lack of confidence in women.

 

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