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South Dakota legislators are taking a stand on the issue of abortion, a stand that outlaws most abortions within the state. Last month they introduced a bill that passed the House 54 to 15 and the Senate 18 to 15. Governor Mike Rounds had pledged to sign the bill into law after some minor changes (mostly just technical wording) were to be made.
After those changes were suggested, the bill was sent back to the House where it was passed 52 to 16. When it arrived at the Senate, the bill was rejected, effectively stopping it in its tracks.
The Bill
There are various points to the bill, including that the Legislature finds:
... the State of South Dakota has a compelling and paramount interest in the preservation and protection of all human life and finds that the guarantee of due process of law under the South Dakota Bill of Rights applies equally to born and unborn human beings
... that the life of a human being begins when the ovum is fertilized by male sperm
... abortion procedures impose significant risks to the health and life of the pregnant mother
...a pregnant mother, together with the unborn human child, each possess a natural and inalienable right to life under the South Dakota Bill of Rights
The bill includes no exception for rape or incest victims, but does allow an exception for the life of the mother and for a pregnancy that poses a “serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function” to the mother. Doctors who perform abortions that do not meet these exceptions will be charged with a felony.
This bill is being called the most restrictive anti-abortion measure in the nation.
After those changes were suggested, the bill was sent back to the House where it was passed 52 to 16. When it arrived at the Senate, the bill was rejected, effectively stopping it in its tracks.
The Bill
There are various points to the bill, including that the Legislature finds:
... the State of South Dakota has a compelling and paramount interest in the preservation and protection of all human life and finds that the guarantee of due process of law under the South Dakota Bill of Rights applies equally to born and unborn human beings
... that the life of a human being begins when the ovum is fertilized by male sperm
... abortion procedures impose significant risks to the health and life of the pregnant mother
...a pregnant mother, together with the unborn human child, each possess a natural and inalienable right to life under the South Dakota Bill of Rights
The bill includes no exception for rape or incest victims, but does allow an exception for the life of the mother and for a pregnancy that poses a “serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function” to the mother. Doctors who perform abortions that do not meet these exceptions will be charged with a felony.
This bill is being called the most restrictive anti-abortion measure in the nation.
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