There's a bill before the State House in South Dakota to ban abortion:
PIERRE, S.D. - Abortion should be a crime in South Dakota if states are given the right to outlaw the medical procedure, a House panel recommended Friday.
The State Affairs Committee unanimously approved HB1249, which would make it a felony to do abortions if Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, is overturned. The bill would allow exceptions in cases where a pregnant woman's life is at risk.
Those who do abortions could face up to two years in prison and a $2,000 fine.
The committee changed the bill to remove a provision that would have made it a crime to advise women to seek abortions.
I've seen bills in which legislatures attempted to find a way around Roe v. Wade. This measure is different. Instead of trying to get around Roe or precipitate a Supreme Court battle, this bill anticipates Roe being overturned. I find this a very interesting strategy, but I'm not entirely sure what it's meant to accomplish.
Of course, Planned Parenthood isn't happy:
Kate Looby of Planned Parenthood said the bill is one of the most extreme measures she has seen. The measure would tie physicians' hands and ignore women's ability to make decisions for themselves, she said.
"Making abortion illegal never has and never will stop women from having abortions," Looby said, urging the committee to reject the bill.
She acts like this is an argument. Making murder illegal never has and never will stop people from killing each other. At least, not entirely. The fact that if an act is made illegal some people will still do it is not, in and of itself, an reason not to ban any activity.
How will this shape up? I have no idea.
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