Washington Post Examines South Dakota Abortion Ban Ballot Initiative

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 24 Sep 2008 - 7:00 PDT

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The Washington Post on Sunday examined South Dakota's Initiated Measure 11, an abortion ban ballot proposal (Slevin, Washington Post, 9/21). The proposal, which will be on the state's ballot in November, would ban abortions except in cases of rape or incest, to save a woman's life or to avert a "substantial and irreversible" maternal health risk of impairment to "a major bodily organ or system" (Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 9/12).

Marvin Buehner, a physician specializing in high-risk pregnancies who supports abortion rights, said that the initiative "would amount to a total ban," adding that the risk of a Class 4 felony charge if he fails to meet the "ambiguous standard of 'serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily organ or system'" would prevent him from performing the procedure to protect the health of pregnant women. Buehner said the initiative "represents incredible government interference in the practice of medicine." Leslee Unruh -- leader of the VoteYesforLife.com campaign, which is promoting the initiative -- said the measure is "more moderate, more reasonable, more of a middle ground" than a 2006 ban that was rejected by South Dakota voters.

According to the Post, abortion access in South Dakota already is more difficult than in other states. There is only one clinic that provides the procedure in the state, and state law requires a 24-hour waiting period to receive an abortion. South Dakota law also requires physicians to inform women that the procedure would "terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique living human being." The law also requires physicians to state that abortion increases the risk of "suicide ideation and suicide," even though the statement is medically disputed, the Post reports. Some South Dakota doctors are hesitant to perform abortions and physicians from Minneapolis are flown into the state once a week by Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota.

Carol Ball, one of the physicians flown into South Dakota once per month, said that women who have to travel long distances to reach the one clinic in the state "undergo a great deal of hardship," and that "another layer of access problems" occurs from the fear women sometimes have discussing crisis pregnancies with their physicians, who might oppose abortion. Ball said that fear that their care will suffer as a result of the discussion is "based in reality," adding, "The fact is, they don't think they can talk about it with anybody, or with very few people."

Steve Hickey -- the leading organizer of the Lampstand Project, which encourages churches to persuade women not to have abortions -- said, "We are insulted when we hear the Planned Parenthood folks say ... that women in the middle of the state have nowhere to turn, because it's not true. There are churches full of people all around the state who will help." Lampstand ministers in an open letter dated Sept. 4 wrote that "abortion is unnecessary in part because the church is a significant part of God's provision to women and children in crisis" (Washington Post, 9/21).

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