PIERRE - A bill that would require doctors to ask pregnant women if they want to see sonograms before the decide to get an abortion was killed in committee twice, including once Monday, but this afternoon it was "smoked out" and passed, 21-13.

A "smoke out" is a legislative technique to force bills to a floor vote after committees reject them.

Sen. Dennis Schmidt, R-Rapid City, who sponsored the bill, argued the sonogram requirement would simply improve "informed consent" for women.

Schmidt argued that sonograms were performed for a range of procedures, not just abortions, and he said patients were routinely invited to watch. "I watched the procedure done on my wife for hip surgery and I thought, this is phenomenal," he said. "This was great information."

Sen. Sandy Jerstad said the bill was "harassment" of women and that it would hurt doctor-patient relationships. "Why would we as legislators think that we know better than doctors?" she asked.

Sen. Tom Katus, D-Rapid City, also spoke against the bill.

"This is a tough, tough decision," he said. Katus said doctors should make the decision whether to offer the choice of viewing the sonogram.

Schmidt said doctors who perform abortions do not develop relationships with patients."They really don't have contact until the girl is on the table," he said.

The House version of the same bill also is up for a vote today.