A bill prohibiting an abortion provider from accepting payment before the day of the abortion is one step closer to becoming law. House Bill 1130 says that payment for the abortion cannot be made until after the informed consent period, which is at least 72 hours after the initial visit with a physician. Senator Jenna Haggar is a prime sponsor of the bill.
“Eighty-two percent of abortions in South Dakota cost between $600 and $699,” Haggar says. “So it is easy to see how paying for an abortion on the initial visit could put financial pressure on the pregnant mother to go through with the procedure even if she was reconsidering that decision. House Bill 1130 seeks to free the mother from this financial pressure during the wait period by not allowing any payment for an abortion until the day of the abortion.”
Proponents say that requiring payment before the day of abortion is not common practice in South Dakota, and this bill helps keep it that way.
Members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee unanimously passed the measure.