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women seeking abortions can take effect, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
• U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier issued an order saying that as of July 1, the state could begin requiring doctors who perform abortions to first assess women to determine if they have been coerced into getting abortions or are at risk of suffering psychological problems if they undergo the procedure.
• However, the judge kept in place a court order that temporarily blocks provisions that require women seeking abortions to wait three days -- the nation's longest waiting period -- and undergo counseling at pregnancy help centers that discourage abortions. Those provisions will remain blocked until a final decision is made in a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood that challenges the law.
• South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said the Wednesday ruling, agreed to by all parties in the lawsuit, will begin the process of determining whether

a woman is being pressured into getting an abortion.
• "What this does is it at least in part achieves the legislative objective of having a doctor performing abortions make certain disclosures to better ensure it is a voluntary and informed decision," Jackley said.
• Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Jen Aulwes said the organization, which operates South Dakota's only abortion clinic in Sioux Falls, will continue working to have the courts strike down provisions that would require a three-day waiting period and counseling at pregnancy help centers.
• "The portions of the law that have yet to be ruled on would still require women in South Dakota to face the longest delay in the nation, and women would still be required to go to biased, nonmedical 'crisis pregnancy centers' that only exist to dissuade women who seek abortion care from a physician," Aulwes said in a written statement.
• Leslee Unruh, founder of the Alpha Center, a Sioux Falls pregnancy help center, said Wednesday's ruling was a good start in providing protection for pregnant women and hopes the entire law is upheld, adding: "We stand ready to assist these mothers in their time of need."
• The South Dakota Legislature passed the law last year, but Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit arguing that it placed an unconstitutional burden on a woman's right to an abortion. Schreier last year prevented much of the law from taking effect, including the three-day waiting period and the consultations with pregnancy help center. The judge ruled that those provisions are likely to be found unconstitutional because they could violate a woman's right to choose an abortion and her right to free speech.

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