No surgical or medical abortion may be scheduled except by a licensed physician and only after the physician physically and personally meets with the pregnant mother, consults with her, and performs an assessment of her medical and personal circumstances. Only after the physician completes the consultation and assessment complying with the provisions of §§ 34-23A-53 to 34-23A-62, inclusive, may the physician schedule a surgical or medical abortion, but in no instance may the physician schedule such surgical or medical abortion to take place in less than seventy-two hours from the completion of such consultation and assessment except in a medical emergency as set forth in § 34-23A-10.1 and subdivision 34-23A-1(5). No Saturday, Sunday, or annually recurring holiday, as specifically named in § 1-5-1, may be included or counted in the calculation of the seventy-two hour minimum time period between the initial physician consultation and assessment and the time of the scheduled abortion procedure. No physician may have the pregnant mother sign a consent for the abortion on the day of this initial consultation and no physician, abortion provider, hospital, or clinic, at which the physician performs an abortion, may accept payment for an abortion until a consent is signed after full compliance with the provisions of §§ 34-23A-53 to 34-23A-62, inclusive. No physician may take a signed consent from the pregnant mother unless the pregnant mother is in the physical presence of the physician and except on the day the abortion is scheduled, and only after complying with the provisions of §§ 34-23A-53 to 34-23A-62, inclusive, as they pertain to the initial consultation, and only after complying with the provisions of subdivisions 34-23A-10.1(1) and (2). During the initial consultation between the physician and the pregnant mother, prior to scheduling a surgical or medical abortion, the physician shall:

(1) Do an assessment of the pregnant mother’s circumstances to make a reasonable determination whether the pregnant mother’s decision to submit to an abortion is the result of any coercion or pressure from other persons. In conducting that assessment, the physician shall obtain from the pregnant mother the age or approximate age of the father of the unborn child, and the physician shall consider whether any disparity in age between the mother and father is a factor when determining whether the pregnant mother has been subjected to pressure, undue influence, or coercion;

Terms Used In South Dakota Codified Laws 34-23A-56

  • written: include typewriting and typewritten, printing and printed, except in the case of signatures, and where the words are used by way of contrast to typewriting and printing. See South Dakota Codified Laws 2-14-2

(2) Provide the written disclosure required by subdivision 34-23A-10.1(1) and discuss them with her to determine that she understands them;

(3) Provide the pregnant mother with the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all pregnancy help centers that are registered with the South Dakota Department of Health pursuant to §§ 34-23A-53 to 34-23A-62, inclusive, and provide her with written instructions that set forth the following:

(a) That prior to the day of any scheduled abortion the pregnant mother must have a consultation at a pregnancy help center at which the pregnancy help center shall inform her about what education, counseling, and other assistance is available to help the pregnant mother keep and care for her child, and have a private interview to discuss her circumstances that may subject her decision to coercion;

(b) That prior to signing a consent to an abortion, the physician shall first obtain from the pregnant mother, a written statement that she obtained a consultation with a pregnancy help center, which sets forth the name and address of the pregnancy help center, the date and time of the consultation, and the name of the counselor at the pregnancy help center with whom she consulted;

(4) Conduct an assessment of the pregnant mother’s health and circumstances to determine if any of the following preexisting risk factors associated with adverse psychological outcomes following an abortion are present in her case:

(a) Coercion;

(b) Pressure from others to have an abortion;