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| Judge Schreier from Andrea Leoncavallo at Lionhorse productions |
The republican war on women continues unabated. A new South Dakota anti-abortion bill stipulates the following conditions. Doctors must certify that women are not being co-erced into an abortion. The bill also mandates a visit to a faith-based anti-abortion pregnancy center and then a woman must wait 3 days for an abortion. This bill was signed by an old white republican governor, Dennis Daugaard who believes that his career as a banker and lawyer makes him well suited to rule over women's reproductive rights.
Peggy Gibson, a Democratic state representative who voted against the measure, said the law amounted to “government intrusion into people’s medical decisions. South Dakota women should not need to submit to an in-person lecture from an unqualified, noncertified, faith-based counselor or volunteer at an anti-choice crisis pregnancy center,” Ms. Gibson said.
Planned Parenthood sued the state to stop the law and won a preliminary injunction against the republicans over-reaching and intrusive measure.
District Court Chief Judge Shreier's full decision here
Some quotes from Judge Shreier's :Planned Parenthood et al vs Daugaard et al.:
"Forcing a woman to divulge to a stranger at a pregnancy help center the fact that she has chosen to undergo an abortion humiliates and degrades her as a human being. The woman will feel degraded by the compulsive nature of the Pregnancy Help Center requirements, which suggest that she has made the 'wrong' decision, has not really 'thought' about her decision to undergo an abortion, or is 'not intelligent enough' to make the decision with the advice of a physician. Furthermore, these women are forced into a hostile environment.""If the preliminary injunction is improperly denied, many women will have
been denied their right to free speech and effectively forced against their will to
remain pregnant until they give birth."
Old white republican governor Daugaard has said, about his new law: "I hope that women who are considering an abortion will use this three-day period to make good choices," Who is he to decide what is a "good" choice for a woman? How will a 3 day waiting period help women making a tough decision? South Dakota only has a 48 hour waiting period to purchase a handgun, but women need 3 days to wait for an abortion? Please explain why there is not a 3 day waiting period to get married in South Dakota. Currently, there is no waiting period for a marriage license. Sending a woman to an anti-choice "counseling" clinic run by religious right wing conservatives is cruel and unusual punishement. I'm delighted that we have some smart judges who can smack the dirty old white governors and tell them to keep their hands and their laws to themselves. So three cheers for U.S. District Court Chief Judge Karen Shreier who was the right woman in the right place at the right time. I can't think of anyone more suited to handle this case, Judge Shreier said the following about her career choice:
“The reason I wanted to be become a judge is because when I began practicing law, there were very few female judges in South Dakota. There were no female judges on the South Dakota Supreme Court or on the federal bench. There were only two state circuit court female judges. I think that a woman’s perspective and voice are important and that a woman’s point of view needed to be considered within the South Dakota judiciary. That is why I wanted to become a judge.”
Here is the full size portrait of U.S. District Court Judge Karen Schreier
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