The Republican governor of South Dakota, Dennis Daugaard, has signed a law that forces women considering an abortion to wait three days after meeting with a doctor — and also requires them to undergo “counseling” at anti-abortion “pregnancy help centers” run by religious fanatics.

And it’s coupled with an attack on Planned Parenthood, of course.

Supporters of the measure say South Dakota’s only abortion clinic, Planned Parenthood in Sioux Falls, gives women little information or counseling before they have abortions done by doctors flown in from out of state. The bill would help make sure women are not being coerced into abortions, they said.

“Coerced into abortions?” This shows the distorted and paranoid thinking of these anti-choice groups. They actually believe that Planned Parenthood wants to promote abortions and will “coerce” unsuspecting women. The fact that women walk into a Planned Parenthood clinic of their own free will is of absolutely no importance to them.

The law, which takes effect July 1, says an abortion can only be scheduled by a doctor who has personally met with a woman and determined she is voluntarily seeking an abortion. The procedure can’t be done until at least 72 hours after that first consultation.

Before getting an abortion, a woman also will have to consult with a pregnancy help center to get information about services available to help her give birth and keep a child. The state will publish a list of pregnancy help centers, all of which seek to persuade women to give birth.

So to counteract the influence of Planned Parenthood, who they say “coerces” women into abortions, they will force women to go to anti-abortion “counseling” centers run by nutjobs.

Who’s coercing whom?