In 2006, the South Dakota Legislature passed a ban on abortion only to have it overturned by a referendum in which Abortion providers and proponents poured millions of dollars into a campaign to defeat the law.
However, after suffering this setback, polling suggested that the citizens of South Dakota would have supported the law if it included some of the exceptions. So pro-lifers got back to work and have put forward a referendum that includes these exceptions. While this makes the referendum less than perfect, it would go a long way to saving many children and could possibly initiate a serious challenge to Roe v. Wade.
So once again, Planned Parenthood, NARAL, end the restof their cohorts are trwoing millions of dollars at South Dakota in order to defeat this measure. Sheila Liaugminas writes at Inforumblog:
South Dakota is ‘ground zero’ right now in the clash of these two worldviews, and that state’s abortion ban law is on the ballot again in November, as I’ve reported here in the Forum. Planned Parenthood and NARAL managed to convince the good citizens of South Dakota in the last referendum of their lies and distortions about the ‘Women’s Health and Human Life Protection Law’, with the power and funding of their national organizations.
Recently, there was a summit meeting in Washington over what to do about South Dakota. The abortion movement has poured over a million dollars into ads in the Rapid City market alone. They are concentrating their national forces on defeating South Dakota again. Because as they said to their group assembled at that meeting, if the South Dakota life protection law wins, it will be the beginning of the end of Roe.
The crafters of that life protection law and the campaign to inform voters about it don’t have nearly the funds of the national abortion movement. But they a force more powerful in the truth about human life.
Help them spread the truth of this campaign.
Sheila also made us aware of this video from One of the original architects of the abortion movement in America, Dr. Bernard Nathanson. In the video, Nathanson tells the truth about abortion.
Help support Measure 11 because the front lines in the pro-life fight is in South Dakota.
September 23, 2008 at 6:07 pm
It takes a brave man to admit such a ghastly mistake. God Bless Dr. Nathanson for speaking the truth. May God also have mercy on him.
September 23, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Those exceptions are still evil. Therefore I cannot support this bill.
-Mark Shea
September 23, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Those exceptions are still evil. Therefore I cannot support this bill.
-Mark Shea
September 23, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Why is the incremental approach to ending abortions (advocated by people such as Ramesh Ponneru and other prominent pro-lifers) so repulsive to you, Mark?
You are entitled to your opinions, but it seems like your approach is completely self-destructive (calling a vote for McCain on pro-life grounds objectively evil and in opposing this bill). What is your plan? Let the other side win every battle (big and small) in the culture war? The other side seems content to take the incremental approach. I don’t get it.
It’s like you are trying to undermine every strategy and idea of the modern pro-life movement. It makes about as much sense as saying “If these three babies have to be murdered than you need to murder these 300 others, too.”
I used to be a fan of “Catholic and Enjoying It,” but I really can’t understand where you are coming from on this political stuff anymore.
September 23, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Although it just occured to me that it could have been a troll pretending to be Mark Shea…. in that case, I apologise.
September 23, 2008 at 8:35 pm
As a priest in SD, I have a copule thoughts to share.
First off, their focus on the western half of the state in Rapid City is not arbitrary. They are deliberately focusing there because of the strong libertarian bent. The NARAL campaign is phrased “Let Families Decide!” This tries to create the spector that the Government is in someway interfering with healthy family planning by this law. To many South Dakotans, especially in the west, this is a strong appeal to their cultural toughness and individuality that is amplified by the harsh life of the great plains. Their campaign emphasizes for me the irony of the Democrat support of abortion, but that’s another issue.
Unfortunately, as the Mark Shea comments indicate (I’m not sure if they are serious) there is division in the pro-life camp that this partial effort is not enough. The end goal is still explicitly the same- the end of all abortions in SD and hopefully the U.S.- yet some claim it has to be all or nothing.
While they might have the option to omit from this bill, to campaign against it, as does the commenter Shea, seems contrary to papal teaching, see Evangelium Vitae #73– this is a clear example of such a case, though the voter is the citizen and not simply the legislator.
September 23, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Yes, it was a joke…
-Not Really Mark Shea
September 23, 2008 at 11:14 pm
>Yes, it was a joke…
>
>-Not Really Mark Shea
And one in bad taste.
September 24, 2008 at 2:13 pm
“And one in bad taste.”
That’s what makes it funny.
September 24, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Let’s not forget Washington State, where Initiative 1000 is trying to legalize euthanasia. There are many front lines in the fight for the right to life.
September 24, 2008 at 9:39 pm
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