South Dakota Rejects Abortion Ban

Statement of Reverend Carlton Veazey, President of the Religious Coalition for Reproudctive Choice

November 8, 2006
South Dakota voters have made history! Yesterday, they rejected the most restrictive abortion ban in the nation. By a vote of 55%-45%, they said no to the politics of fear and negativity and yes to women and families living in dignity. The national movement to criminalize abortion has suffered a severe blow in one of the most conservative states in the union.

The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice is honored to have worked alongside South Dakota Pastors for Moral Choices in reaching out to the faithful with a positive, moral basis to keep abortion legal. The vote shows that we have the power and the ability to stand up for what is right. We are grateful for the tremendous outpouring of support from our partners in religious communities and organizations and our supporters throughout the nation.

RCRC was on the ground in South Dakota and talked to hundreds of people. We learned that some voters rejected the instructions of their own churches— often from the pulpit—to vote for the ban. Our message was more in touch with what most people believe—that abortion is a personal decision for a woman, guided by her faith. Again and again, people told us, "Women deserve trust and respect."

The ban would have prohibited abortions for victims of rape and incest and women whose health was at risk. The only exception was abortion to save a pregnant woman’s life. It was important to voters to know that some local ministers thought that it was far more compassionate and responsible to keep abortion legal than to force women to continue a pregnancy against their will or against the advice of their doctor.

People on all sides of the abortion debate saw the vote as a historic test of public sentiment. South Dakota lawmakers had passed the ban in hopes that a subsequent court challenge might lead to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. Instead of going to court, local citizens gathered enough petition signatures to put the measure to a vote. Proponents of the ban ran an expensive, high-visibility campaign funded largely by national organizations that work to end legal abortion. Opponents of the ban chose a low- key, person-to-person campaign that showed the ban to be harmful and extreme. Moderation and compassion won the day.

I'd like to thank everyone who visited our Virtual Vigil. Thank you for lighting a candle and for your prayers for the women and girls of South Dakota. Opponents of Roe v. Wade and legal abortion now have lost the vote that they have demanded for years. But they still refuse to hear the voice of the people. They have already said they have plans to try to shut down South Dakota's lone women's clinic. Groups in other states are preparing to introduce their own bans. For today, let us draw strength and joy from this moment. Our resolve is strong!