NARAL response to South Dakota ban on abortion

[Horse with no Name]

The worst has happened: South Dakota has banned abortion.

What does the law do? South Dakota's criminal ban outlaws abortion in almost all cases and does not protect a woman in cases of rape or incest or even when her health is in danger. Doctors who violate the ban could face up to five years in prison.

This is the second time that South Dakota has pushed to ban abortion, and the governor is so anti-choice that he has stated, "bortion...should always be illegal." Even as we see increasing restrictions across the country, it is still a shock to hear that any state has actually passed a law to deny women their constitutional right to choose altogether.

The law is part of a larger anti-choice strategy to overturn Roe v. Wade altogether. To quote the South Dakota House Speaker Matthew Michels, "I think the stars are aligned."

According to Governor Rounds, who was just in Washington, DC for a national governors' meeting, he is getting support from his peers: "A lot of governors expressing support and wishing us good luck and saying they may have similar proposals that may be favorably looked upon across the United States."

He's right - this legal strategy isn't just happening in South Dakota. Anti-choice lawmakers are pushing similar unconstitutional legislation in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia, all with the intent of ending the right to choose through the courts.

Our opponents may be fired up over this latest victory, but we can't let them achieve their goal of overturning Roe v. Wade.

[pfitz59]

1. Some women will always seek abortions.........

no matter the legality! Rich women will go out of state/out of country. Poor women will find illicit providers. Many will try "home remedies". (IE: poison, pounding on their bellies, falling down stairs, sticking rusty wires inside themselves) Does this bill penalize doctors who treat women from abortion complications, or does it jail women who try to self-abort? In a rational world such a law would be immedialtly disallowed because of its unfairness and inhumanity! I'm sick of the Tali-born-again and their assault of privacy and personal freedoms!

[FlemingsGhost]

2. Actually, I am hoping they succeed.

America *still* slumbers, five years later. This will be the wake-up call ...

[Horse with no Name]

3. I keep saying that

Time after time, but yet it doesn't happen.:(

[Kolesar]

4. Did Governor Rounds sign the bill? eom

[Horse with no Name]

5. Yes. eom.

[Kolesar]

6. And I thought he was backing away from it

What do I know?

[Horse with no Name]

7. The problem is

These people aren't the majority, but they are very organized and very diligent and very loud.
They get their message out there.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060306/ap_on_re_us/abortion_south_dakota

[enlightenment]

8. Am I correct in believing that this was passed by the SD

without referendum? I read something to that effect.

[Horse with no Name]

9. Yes.

Planned Parenthood hasn't made a decision yet whether to challenge in court or to seek a statewide public vote in November.

[enlightenment]

10. Thanks.

I just got finished going over the initiative/referendum/recall process with my Nevada history students (they also study the NV constitution) and wanted a way to inject this topic into the conversation without just dropping it in out of the blue (the tightrope walk of staying on topic . . .).