Time to Put Legislators On Trial

My opposition to the whole South Dakota abortion policy has been well documented, but the fact remains that the legislators who push these bills across should recieve equal wrath.  with the abortion policy as it stands, South Dakota requires their women to travel to the only abortion clinic in the whole state sitting in Sioux Falls and requires a mandatory 72 hour waiting period.  The onus does not only fall on S.D Governor Dennis Dougaard, but he deserves the lions share.  Dougaard, echoing the thoughts that are shared with his fellow party members (the GOP for those not paying attention), believes, "everyone agrees with the goal of reducing abortion by encouraging consideration of other alternatives."  I'm not sure where he is getting this feeling but outside of his state, abortion is not only legal but supported by many, and not just women's rights advocates.  Dougaard sure has done a nice job of incorporating his personal belief system into his policy making, and I'm glad he doesnt share the belief that church and state should be seperated. 

This state has its priorities so out of whack they need to do a complete legislative overhaul. 

It doesnt help that they are close to jumping into their primaries to choose its next leadership and needless to say they still dont seem to have their act together (Mike Rounds Gears up for S.D Republican Primary).

This rant may seem like needless Republican bashing but nothing is further from the truth; this is South Dakota Republican bashing.  With its head wedged deep in the sand, this classicly conservative state needs to take an introspective look and gauge what the rest of the country thinks of them.  They are constantly being berated by women's rights and human rights groups alike.  Jan Nicolay, co-chair of the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families, states, "despite the fact that South Dakotans have repeatedly spoken on issues of government interference in private decisions, we will once more be pulled into a protracted legal battle that will potentially cost the state millions in tax dollars." 

South Dakota, unfortunately, are not the only one's tooling with a women's right to choose, which is backed by federal law.  However, they seem to be the most aggresive in trying to do away with abortion as a whole.

 

 

 

 South Dakota Abortion Bill Signed Into Law By Governor Dennis Daugaard