South Dakota's abortion task force has completed its report. Its introduction states that "the unborn child from the moment of conception is a whole separate human being."

And it gets worse. Because, of 17 task force members, only two were pro-choice (State Sen. Stan Adelstein and Planned Parenthood's Kate Looby). Among the other members are a representative of the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls, seven anti-choice state legislators, and a chiropractor whose wife runs the largest "crisis pregnancy center" in the state. The pro-choicers were not allowed to submit a minority report.

So what does the task force recommend the state legislature do to reduce the number of abortions?

* Amend the State Constitution to provide the unborn child, from the moment of conception, with the same protection of the law that the child receives after birth and also provide protections for the mother-child relationship. (In other words, criminalize abortion.)

* Require the abortion doctor to verify the age of the patient and the father of the unborn child.

* Require that no abortion can be performed unless the pregnant mother, prior to making an appointment for an abortion, receives counseling and disclosures about the nature of the risks and the alternatives to abortion by a pregnancy care center that does not perform abortions. (Yup – you’d have to go to a Crisis Pregnancy Center before even making an appointment with Planned Parenthood.)

* Require strict reporting requirements concerning the reasons a woman is seeking an abortion. (Because your personal decisions are the state's business.)

* Require that the State create a written disclosure form that requires the abortion doctor to provide the mother, in person, with all of the risks of abortion to the mother and her unborn child. (But not all of the risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth.)

* Require the abortion doctor to personally complete a written form provided by the State that specifically asks the woman if she is being pressured into having the abortion. If she indicates that she is being pressured, require that the abortion shall not be performed.

* Require that the abortion doctor show the pregnant mother a quality ultrasound image of her unborn child.

* Require the abortion doctor to have hospital privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the location where the abortion is performed. (This would eliminate the current providers who fly from Minnesota to the state's only abortion-providing clinic, in Sioux Falls, to perform abortions.)

And the punchline?

* Strengthen and clarify existing public policy regarding "character development education" to include a definition of sexual abstinence and a statement that abstinence education in South Dakota is to exclude contraceptive-based sexuality education.

Unbelievable. Also, full sections of the report are a pointed attack on Planned Parenthood, which is South Dakota's only abortion provider. Because Looby would not allow the task force to tour a clinic and declined to provide a video of an actual abortion (for security and privacy reasons), the report states:

The Task Force finds that Planned Parenthood has something to hide. Their blocking attempts to review the above information raises suspicion and concern about how abortions are administered and performed at Planned Parenthood.

I think we have more reason to be suspicious and concerned about the future of abortion rights in South Dakota. Truly frightening.

Thanks to Cari (a former South Dakotan) of Law Students for Choice for passing along the report.