Vol. 72/No. 46      November 24, 2008

The rally was organized by the University Pro-Choice Coalition. Stephanie Taylor, one of the organizers of the rally, said, “I believe the South Dakota campaign to ban abortions will become national. It is an important issue not being talked about enough. Most people don’t realize the implications behind the ban and the potential for Roe v. Wade to be overturned.”

The 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling decriminalized abortion nationwide. But since then women’s access to abortion has been eroded. The most recent survey found that 88 percent of all counties in the United States have no health facilities or doctors that provide abortions, according to the National Abortion Federation. Many states have restrictions, including parental consent laws, mandatory waiting times, and required “counseling.”

Colorado, California, and South Dakota each had ballot measures in the November 4 elections that would have limited abortion rights. The South Dakota measure was the most restrictive. It would have banned abortion except in cases of incest, rape, or when a woman’s health is seriously threatened. All three were defeated.

The South Dakota organization “Vote Yes for Life” collected more than 17,000 signatures in the spring to put the measure on the ballot.

In 2006 a state law signed by Governor Michael Rounds made it a felony for doctors to perform abortions except for cases when a woman’s life is threatened. But the law was later struck down in a referendum when it was rejected by 56 percent of the voters.  
 
 
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