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(2/14/2007)

Amended Abortion Ban Passes South Dakota House

Bill retains rape, incest, health exceptions

By Bob Ellis

DAKOTA VOICE

HB 1293, South Dakota's abortion ban, passed the state House by a 45-25 vote, which is nearly the same margin by which HB 1215 passed the House in 2006.

Before passage, Rep. Gordon Howe (R-Rapid City) proposed an amendment which included several changes to the bill. These changes did not remove the exceptions for rape, incest and the health of the mother. 

Other changes to the bill had been made in the House State Affairs Committee two days ago when South Dakota Attorney General Larry Long "hoghoused" the bill, implementing major changes to the language of the bill that he felt would make the legislation more defensible in a court challenge.

Some of the major changes in today's amendment include the following:

• the finding that the pregnant mother possesses the constitutional right to a relationship with her child, and the right to make decisions that advance the well-being of her child

• the insertion of "consistent with the accepted standards of medical practice," when referring to a doctors medical judgment about the life and health of the mother

• "date of viability" for the developmental deadline for allowing an abortion was changed to "completion of the twentieth week following the mother's last menstrual period"

Click here for the full text of today's amendment and here for the revised text of the bill.