South Dakota Decision Compels Doctors to Push Ideological Views
The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that South Dakota can begin enforcing a law compelling doctors to tell their patients seeking aboritons that an “abortion will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being.” Doctors also must tell women they have the right to abortion, but that it could cause psychological harm, even suicide.
The court ruled that Planned Parenthood, which challenged the law, failed to show that the sentiment doctors will be forced to express is ideological.
Not ideological?! This law practically demands that doctors recite the anti-choice pledge of allegiance to women seeking abortions. Anti-choice pharmacists get away with not providing birth control because they say doing so would violate their freedom of conscience, but now doctors in South Dakota will be compelled to give patients information that is not only subjective, but medically inaccurate.
And if the court was really concerned with placing biological accuracy above ideological bias, you’d think it would allow doctors to determine what information patients needed to know. Instead, the court prefers government intrusion into the doctor-patient relationship.
South Dakota is in a perilous position. In 2006 voters defeated an outright ban on abortion. A similar ban will appear on the ballot this coming November. Hopefully, today’s decision will trigger pro-choice activism in the state.
By Tara Sweeney