Though the previous South Dakota abortion ban passed both the state House and Senate, and was signed by Governor Rounds, their Plan B (that included exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother) was rejected Wednesday by a Senate legislative committee.
Some pro-life supporters of the previous ban that was put to the voters, rejected this one because of possible court challenges and that it was potentially unconstitutional. While the reports do not specify what their argument is for its “unconstitutionality”, the fact is, the exceptions make the proposed law inconsistent, and some of the safeguards in the measure are convoluted. The bill is not dead yet, one legislator is talking about a “smoke out” that would put it to the vote of the full senate anyway.
What is promising about this news is that South Dakota pro-lifers do not show any sign of giving up. One legislator declared that this issue is “not going away”. Perhaps they will follow the advice of Judie Brown and come back with the original version in two years.
