Monday, March 6, 2006
NAF Communications Department
202-667-5881
Washington, DC - Calling today's action by South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds "a direct attack on American women and their reproductive freedoms," NAF President and CEO Vicki Saporta condemned the signing into law of a bill that bans almost all abortions in the state. The new law disregards established legal precedent regarding abortion and is a direct assault on Roe v. Wade.
"Governor Rounds signed a law that clearly is unconstitutional," said Saporta. "South Dakota women deserve better from their elected representatives. Legislators have put politics ahead of the well-being of the state's women and they have passed a law that endangers women's lives and health."
The new law prohibits all safe abortion procedures at all stages of pregnancy and contains only a limited exception for the life of the woman. The law forces women in South Dakota to carry a pregnancy to term even if it jeopardizes her health or if it is the result of rape or incest.
"We expect this law to be immediately challenged and enjoined. The courts undoubtedly will recognize how far outside of established precedent this law is and will strike it down as unconstitutional.
"For more than 30 years, Roe v. Wade has protected the lives and health of American women. There is too much at stake to allow the South Dakota governor and legislature to deny women safe and legal access to reproductive health care services. The citizens of South Dakota will not tolerate a return to the days of back-alley abortions when a woman had to sacrifice her life and health to terminate an unwanted pregnancy."
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The National Abortion Federation (NAF) is the professional association of abortion providers in the United States and Canada. Our mission is to ensure safe, legal, and accessible abortion care to promote health and justice for women. Our members include health care professionals at clinics, doctors' offices, and hospitals, who together care for more than half the women in both countries who choose abortion each year. For more information, visit our website at www.prochoice.org
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