Legislative Watch: South Dakota Abortion Ban

It should come as no surprise that there are major things at stake in the 2008 election: the failed economy, the future of the Supreme Court and the fate of the war in Iraq - to name a few hot issues.

In additional to national issues, there are also state ballot initiatives such as the proposed abortion ban in South Dakota which could have huge implications if passed. In South Dakota, the initiative known as Measure 11 would "ban about 98 percent of abortions, except those in rare cases of rape or incest or in very narrow cases when the pregnancy severely threatens the mother's health."

South Dakota Healthy Families is leading the charge against the measure by educating voters on what is at stake, as well as driving action items such as petition drives, consciousness-raising and fund raising events.

Today, Feministing featured a great write up by Tiffany Campbell, a spokesperson from the organization, detailing her personal story:

"We decided to abort one of our sons. Our decision was predicated on consultation with experts in the field of fetal medicine, our personal beliefs, prayer, and a mother's intuition."

You can read the entire piece over at Feministing or watch the latest television ads from South Dakota Healthy Families here:

I urge those who are from South Dakota or have friends or family there to stay educated about Measure 11. This is the second attempt to try and ban abortion in the state after a 2006 measure narrowly failed.

If passed, the law could carry ramifications well-beyond state lines and give credence to other anti-choice campaigns trying to undermine a woman's right to privacy and ability to choose.