[Mb-civic] S. Dakota OK's wide abortion ban - The Boston Globe

[William Swiggard]

  S. Dakota OK's wide abortion ban


    Bill sets stage for legal fight

By Chet Brokaw, Associated Press  |  February 25, 2006

PIERRE, S.D. -- South Dakota lawmakers approved a ban on nearly all 
abortions yesterday, setting up a frontal assault on Roe v. Wade at a 
time when some activists see the US Supreme Court as more willing than 
ever to overturn the 33-year-old decision.

Governor Mike Rounds, a Republican, said he was inclined to sign the 
bill, which would make it a crime for doctors to perform an abortion 
unless it was necessary to save the woman's life. The measure would make 
no exception in cases of rape or incest.

Many opponents and supporters of abortion rights believe the US Supreme 
Court is more likely to overturn its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision 
legalizing abortion now that conservatives John G. Roberts Jr. and 
Samuel A. Alito Jr. are on the bench. Lawmakers said growing support 
among South Dakotans for abortion restrictions added momentum to the bill.

''I think the stars are aligned," said House Speaker Matthew Michels, a 
Republican. ''Simply put, now is the time."

Planned Parenthood, which operates the only abortion clinic in South 
Dakota, has pledged to sue over the measure. About 800 abortions a year 
are performed in South Dakota.

Some opponents of the bill said abortion should at least be allowed in 
cases of rape or incest, or where the woman's health is threatened.

If a rape victim becomes pregnant and bears a child, the rapist could 
have the same parental rights as the mother, said Krista Heeren-Graber, 
executive director of the South Dakota Network Against Family Violence 
and Sexual Assault. ''The idea the rapist could be in the child's life . 
. . makes the woman very, very fearful. Sometimes they need to have 
choice," Heeren-Graber said.

Under the measure, doctors could get up to five years in prison for 
performing an illegal abortion. The House passed the bill 50-to-18 
yesterday; the Senate approved it 23-to-12 earlier this week. If signed, 
it would become law July 1.

Money for the anticipated legal fight is already pouring in. Lawmakers 
were told during the debate that an anonymous donor has pledged $1 
million to defend the ban, and the Legislature is setting up a special 
account to accept donations.

''We've had people stopping in our office trying to drop off checks to 
promote the defense of this legislation already," Rounds said.

Leslee Unruh, president of the Alpha Center, a Sioux Falls pregnancy 
counseling agency that tries to steer women away from abortion, said 
most of the abortions performed in South Dakota do not stem from rape or 
even failed contraception, but are simply ''conveniences." Unruh said 
she believes most South Dakota women want the state to ban abortion, and 
many who have had abortions ''wish someone would have stopped them."

The governor said he believes it would be better to eliminate abortion 
in steps rather than all at once. Rounds indicated he does not share the 
view that Alito and Roberts will usher in sudden, dramatic changes in 
how the court views abortion. He said it could be a drawn-out battle and 
noted that it is not even assured that the high court will hear the case.

The bill ''may satisfy a lot of individuals out there who would like to 
see if there is one slim chance the court may entertain three years from 
now a direct assault on Roe v. Wade," Rounds said.

He added, however: ''I've indicated I'm prolife and I do believe 
abortion is wrong and that we should do everything we can to save lives. 
If this bill accomplishes that, then I am inclined to sign the bill into 
law." Rounds said his staff will review the bill for technical defects. 
He said he vetoed a similar measure two years ago because it would have 
wiped out all existing restrictions on abortion while the bill was 
challenged in court.

Some advocates said an abortion ban would hurt poor women the most by 
forcing them to travel long distances to other states where the 
procedure is legal.

Kate Looby, Planned Parenthood director in Sioux Falls, said women who 
cannot afford to travel to a clinic might be forced to turn to unsafe 
methods of abortion. ''We've seen it in the past in this country, we've 
seen it all over the world, and there's no reason to believe it would 
not happen in South Dakota," Looby said.

http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/women/articles/2006/02/25/s_dakota_oks_wide_abortion_ban/
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