No More Wire Hangers: South Dakota Fights Back

In 1973 the case of Roe Versus Wade resulted in the legalization of abortion in America, for whichever reason a woman chooses, up until the point where the fetus becomes viable. Since its legalization in 1973, the topic of abortion has been the focus of much controversy, dividing Americans as either “Pro-Life” or “Pro-Choice;" a "Pro-Choice" rally is pictured to the right. Although the Roe V. Wade verdict has always been met with fanatical opposition, in recent years there has been a major push to bring back the extreme abortion ban, especially now with the elections just around the corner. Last year, the state legislature in South Dakota proposed a bill to outlaw abortion in the state, with no exceptions for rape, incest, or a woman’s health; and only allowing abortion to save the pregnant woman’s life. The 2006 ban was barely defeated, with just a 54 to 46 percent margin; and now, after a few minor revisions, South Dakota law- makers have reintroduced their proposal for this both dangerous and unconstitutional statewide ban.

The South Dakota abortion ban has outraged reproductive rights and civil liberties groups across the state. Led by Planned Parenthood, which runs the only abortion clinic in South Dakota, the Campaign for Healthy Families is doing everything in their power to overturn this ban. In the last six weeks more than 1,200 volunteers have petitioned more than 38,000 signatures from every county in the state, double the signatures needed to have voters repeal the ban. One of the major lobbyists for the South Dakota abortion ban is Leslee Unruh, founder of the Abstinence Clearinghouse, a national group based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota that advocates abstinence until marriage. Unruh, who is pictured here with First Lady Laura Bush, has received direct funding from the Bush administration, most significantly in 2002, when the Congress gave the Clearinghouse $2.7 million for their "Abstinence Only" campaigns. William Smith, vice president for public policy of Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States says, "If you follow the money, there is no other conclusion: Our tax dollars financed the South Dakota anti-choice lobby."

In early 2005, Unruh worked with South Dakota legislature to “set aside politics” and provide scientific and medical evidence to help end the abortion debate. In what was supposed to be a strictly scientific analysis of evidence, 10 of the 17 governor-selected members of the committee were well known abortion opponents, including Unruh’s own husband; as well as other experts whose work has also been published on the National Right to Life Committee website, a major “pro-life” organization. Among many ludicrous findings, the Committee concluded that abortion traumatizes and exploits women, and that abortion providers have a legal duty to the unborn, not to the pregnant woman. Leslee Unruh continues to manipulate and misuse scientific evidence to support her claims, ultimately misguiding and harming women who could potentially benefit from having this procedure.

In South Dakota the consequences of a statewide abortion ban would be devastating. On the poverty stricken Rosebud Indian reservation in South Dakota, pictured to the left, 80 percent of female high school seniors report having been raped. Nichole Witt of the White Buffalo Calf Woman Society, the reservation's shelter for women, says, “Control over our bodies is being decided by white men who have no concept of our lives here as Indian women. We have children, young girls, being molested and raped by their family members.” Witt explains that these Native American women do not have the resources to travel long distances to an out of state abortion clinic. While banning abortion in South Dakota may satisfy the wishes of “pro-life” conservatives, it will increase the number of unwanted children being born into the Native American community. Although Native Americans make up just 8 percent of the state's population, an astonishing 56 percent of children in South Dakota state care are Native American.

The South Dakota abortion ban poses a huge threat to the safety and health of women in America. In a country where almost half the teenage population is sexually active and almost 16 percent of sexually active teens report using no form of contraception, abortion is necessary. If our government proceeds to fund abstinence campaigns instead of safe sex education, teenagers will continue to have unprotected sex and the rate of unwanted pregnancy will rise. Unfortunately, our society is not perfect, and accidents do happen. A South Dakota doctor says, "By the nature of being adolescents, they are the ones more inclined to take risks. They are in a position where unwanted, unplanned pregnancy has the ability to most greatly affect their lives." Until we find a way to effectively reduce the amount of unwanted pregnancies in our country, abortion must be a legal and available service. The doctor, who flies to South Dakota once a month to provide abortions for South Dakota natives, warns, "Women with resources will get safe abortions. It's these young women who will try to end their pregnancies in dangerous and unhealthy ways."

Although South Dakota is just one small state, those who oppose the ban believe that if it is not defeated on a state level, it will inevitably make its way to the U.S Supreme Court. Sarah Stoesz, CEO of Planned Parenthood in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota explains, “This is about an ill wind that is beginning to blow in South Dakota and will ultimately blow across the country unless stopped. A Win in this state will advance our movement for reproductive rights to the next level, and change the current politics of the country."