PIERRE, S.D., February 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The South Dakota Senate narrowly passed the abortion ban bill Tuesday by a vote of 18-15. The bill was passed in a slightly different form, allowing for abortion in the event that the pregnancy poses a serious risk to a mother’s health. The House ratified the change on Wednesday. The bill has yet to be signed into law by Governor Mike Rounds, who hasn’t revealed his position, although he is not expected to oppose the bill, having a record of voting in favour of life. The new bill effectively outlaws most abortion in that state. Bill HB1191 passed the South Dakota state House by a wide majority, 45-15 earlier this month, after dozens of women testified to the House State Affairs Committee of the disaster abortion had caused in their lives.
The legislation, which declares that life begins at the moment of conception, came under scrutiny, because of the provision being made for allowance of the morning-after pill. Pro-life groups argued that a provision allowing the morning-after pill still sanctioned abortion, because the pill disrupts a newly fertilized egg from implanting in the mother’s womb, thus constituting an abortion. Senators, such as J.P. Duniphan, R-Rapid City, also argued that the clause which allows for abortion when a woman’s pregnancy puts her life at risk contradicts the statement in the Bill that says there is no justification for killing the unborn. The South Dakota Right to Life movement also had reservations about the original bill. They said that the attempt by South Dakota legislators to overturn the US Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision could backfire and instead solidify the decision, costing the state more than $1 million in legal fees in the process. Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage: https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/feb/04021104.html