Tueday, November 4, 2008
NAF Communications Department
202-667-5881
press@prochoice.org
Statement of Vicki Saporta, President and CEO of the National Abortion Federation (NAF) in response to the defeat of the most restrictive abortion ban in the nation, which would have prohibited nearly all abortions in South Dakota:
This ban would have threatened the lives and health of South Dakota women, and potentially set a dangerous precedent for our country. Today's vote is a victory not only for women in South Dakota, but for women throughout the nation.
This is the second time South Dakota voters have protected a woman's right to access abortion care by defeating an abortion ban. In 2006, the South Dakota legislature passed an abortion ban, which Governor Mike Rounds signed into law. Citizens in South Dakota banded together in opposition to the legislation, and gathered enough signatures to defer implementation of the ban pending a statewide referendum. That year, South Dakota voters rejected the abortion ban by a margin of 55 percent to 45 percent.
Although abortion opponents proposed another abortion ban this year, the citizens of South Dakota have again voted not to outlaw abortion.
The South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families, the organization originally created to fight the abortion ban in 2006, once again played an integral part in the ban's defeat. NAF also sent staff to South Dakota to help campaign against this dangerous initiative.
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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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