SD Governor Signs Abortion Ban

South Dakota Governor Signs Sweeping Abortion Ban; Planned Parenthood to Fight Ban in Court; 10 States Poised to Pass Similar Bans

NEW YORK — Planned Parenthood denounced South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds' signing of the South Dakota abortion ban today, vowing to use all legal options available to protect the rights and health of women and families in South Dakota and across the country.

"South Dakota has made abortion a criminal act. Ever since the South Dakota legislators cast their votes last week, people across the country have been calling Planned Parenthood in shock, fear, and outrage," said Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards. "A 92-year-old woman, horrified by the governor's action, picked up the phone to make her first-ever gift to the reproductive rights movement, and a mother of three called us, crying, to send her support. And South Dakota may not be the only state to ban abortion — 10 other states currently have abortion ban bills pending."

Across the country, anti-choice politicians are creating a gauntlet of legislation that attempts to put roadblocks between women and reproductive health care. Currently there are approximately 850 pieces of state legislation related to choice — only a small minority of which support women's access to reproductive health services. Eighteen states are currently considering a range of abortion bans that take decisions about health care out of the hands of women, their families and their doctors. Ten of those states are considering bans similar to that of South Dakota, or laws that would ban abortion automatically if Roe were overturned. They include: Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

"This is proof-positive that Governor Rounds cares more about politics than about the health and safety of women in South Dakota," said Sarah Stoesz, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Minnesota North Dakota South Dakota. "In every state, women, their families, and their doctors should be making private, personal health care decisions — not politicians."

"These abortion bans, and the politicians supporting them, are far outside the mainstream of America," added Richards. "Planned Parenthood will fight these attacks in court, in the state houses, and at the ballot boxes, to ensure that women, with their doctors and families, continue to be able to make personal health care decisions without government interference."