South Dakota State Senate Committee Heeds Voters' Call Rejects Abortion Ban

Sioux Falls, SD—Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, joined Casey Murschel, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice South Dakota, in calling the rejection of HB 1293, the latest abortion ban, a victory for the voters of South Dakota. 

"Today's vote is a true victory for the voters of our state.  Unlike their counterparts in the House, the senators who rejected this abortion ban clearly heard voters' call for politicians to stay out of our personal, private medical decisions," said Murschel.  "We hope that legislators take this opportunity to change the tone of this debate and focus on advancing commonsense, common-ground measures that promote women's health, prevent unintended pregnancy, and reduce the need for abortion.  The voters of South Dakota want this legislature to focus on improving women's health care, not divisive bills like this abortion ban."

Background on HB 1293:

On November 7, 2006, South Dakotans defeated Referred Law 6, an egregious ban on abortion, by a 56-44 percent margin.  All but three legislative districts in the state rejected this rigid and restrictive ban on abortion.  Last week, despite the resounding results in November, anti-choice legislators in the South Dakota House passed House Bill 1293 – another near-total ban on abortion.  

Contact:
Ted Miller, 202.973.3032