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Ban on Paying for Abortion Ahead of Time Moves Forward in South Dakota

HB 1130, introduced at the end of January by state Rep. Nancy Rasmussen (R-Hurley), would prohibit patients from making a payment for their abortion any time prior to the day of the procedure.

HB 1130, introduced at the end of January by state Rep. Nancy Rasmussen (R-Hurley), would prohibit patients from making a payment for their abortion any time prior to the day of the procedure. Shutterstock

The South Dakota legislature is quickly moving forward with a handful of bills that seek to restrict access to abortion in the state. Among the legislative proposals is a bill that would prohibit those seeking an abortion from paying for the procedure ahead of time.

South Dakota law already requires that a person seeking an abortion have an initial meeting with a licensed physician at least 72 hours before the procedure. During that meeting, the physician must consult with and do an assessment of the patient, but isn’t allowed to obtain the written consent of the patient until 72 hours have passed.

The patient is then required to to have a private consultation at a crisis pregnancy center prior to the day of the schedule abortion. This requirement has been blocked by the courts after it passed through the GOP-controlled South Dakota legislature in March 2014.

HB 1130, introduced at the end of January by state Rep. Nancy Rasmussen (R-Hurley), would prohibit patients from making a payment for their abortion any time prior to the day of the procedure.

Paying ahead of time could “give the pregnant mother a sense of obligation,” Rasmussen said.

State Sen. Jenna Haggar (R-Sioux Falls), who co-sponsored the bill along with 47 other lawmakers, told South Dakota Public Broadcasting that the bill “seeks to free the mother from this financial pressure during wait period by not allowing payment for an abortion until the day of the abortion.”

The proposed legislation was passed unanimously by the Health and Human Services Committee and is scheduled for a vote by the house on Thursday.

State house lawmakers in January introduced several other pieces of reproductive health-care legislation, including a bill that would require providers to give counseling to a pregnant person after a fetus tests positive for Down syndrome.

A resolution introduced in January and passed overwhelmingly by the house would express the state’s commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade.