Abortion-Rights Opposition Group Launches Campaign To Uphold South Dakota Ban In Statewide Vote

The group South Dakotans for 1215/VoteYesForLife.com on Wednesday launched its efforts to gain voter support for a November statewide ballot initiative that will decide whether a law (HB 1215) banning abortion in the state except to save a woman's life can take effect, Reuters reports (Reuters, 7/12). The South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families, a coalition of opponents of the ban, successfully blocked the July 1 enactment of the abortion law by gathering enough signatures to put the issue on the November ballot (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/11). "We're all about life, helping women and helping babies," Leslie Unruh, VoteYesForLife's leader, said, adding, "Abortion hurts women, abortion denies us our relationship with our child. ... All of us have a reason for being born." According to Reuters, both VoteYesForLife and Healthy Families said over the next few months they expect the campaigns to be aggressive and to use media and "on-the-ground campaigning" to spread their messages (Reuters, 7/12).

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