OH HELL NO, South Dakota.

Yesterday, South Dakota became the first state in the nation to require that women obtain counseling from a "pregnancy help center" (read: anti-abortion center) before they may legally have an abortion. Apparently women in the state already had to hear the lie that abortion "will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique living human being."

Anti-abortionist Leslee Unruh says, "What are they so afraid of? That women might change their minds?" No. It's not fear. It's indignation and anger that our rights are being trampled upon. As a woman of childbearing age, I don't fear people who want to tell me what to do with my uterus. But I damn well don't want to listen to them (much less pay for gas money to drive to a faraway "help center" and waste hours waiting in line), and in a proper society, I wouldn't have to. The GOP would like me to have to. Hell, what they'd really like is for me to have to carry any pregnancy to term, whether I wanted the child or not.

Memo to Republicans: This is not why we voted for you. We voted for you because there is too much government intrusion into our lives, and we want it cut back. We certainly did not vote for you because we want more government controls. Butt out!