Entry: Woe for the Women of South Dakota Monday, March 06, 2006



Pierre, South Dakota - Gov. Mike Rounds signed legislation Monday banning nearly all abortions in South Dakota, setting up a court fight aimed at challenging the 1973 US Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.

The bill would make it a crime for doctors to perform an abortion unless the procedure was necessary to save the woman's life. It would make no exception for cases of rape or incest. ...

 "In the history of the world, the true test of a civilization is how well people treat the most vulnerable and most helpless in their society. The sponsors and supporters of this bill believe that abortion is wrong because unborn children are the most vulnerable and most helpless persons in our society. I agree with them," Rounds said in the statement.

Chet Brokaw article

I dare say I'm not the only one who posted about this today here in blogland. My main bitch involves this idea of protecting the unborn child from suffering and death.  Sounds fine, sounds good, right? But unless I'm totally misunderstanding the nature of genetics a baby born of incest will suffer unimaginable pain and suffering.  Not only is there the possibility of serious, lifelong, debiliatating physical abnormalities as well as mental problems there is the awful fact that they will suffer excruciating emotional pain if they learn their parentage.  Of course, I imagine the information will be kept from the child, much in the matter that adoptions records are sealed. But those records are kept open in some states and, last I checked, there was no legislation on the table pertaining to children of incest and their rights to know their parentage. So, what's the plan for those situations?  And regarding physical or mental and emotional problems, is the medical field prepared to handle children of incest? I just don't get the logic in these anti-abortion arguments. In order to protect a baby from suffering a painful death Rounds and the rest of the pro-life folks want to force this being to suffer for a full lifetime? Seems to me that mercy and cruelty aren't always so clearly recognized.

   2 comments

shawna
March 8, 2006   08:13 AM PST
 
It is frightening. Being currently pregnant now, voluntarily, I would hate to think that if the situation were different, that I'd be forced to go through with this if I didn't want to. It's a life changing, body changing, hormonal changing, sometimes terrifying experience, and if not done in the way you want (rape, incest, or if the baby is known to have problems) it would be a horrible thing to be forced by law to endure.
strangerina
March 7, 2006   12:29 PM PST
 
well first of all, there already should have been woe for the women of south dakota. even discounting this law, there is only ONE office in the entire state where abortions are performed. it's operated by family planning, and SD women often have to drive hours to get there only to turn around and drive home after what can often be a traumatic experience in itself.

this law is a joke. the application of it has already been suspended pending legal battles, etc, and it is just as likely that the SC will refuse to hear it as that it will accept it as a challenge to roe. more likely it will be overturned in the lower appeals courts and the SC will let the ruling stand. most likely, the law will never be enforced.

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