Full Plate of Ballot Measures for South Dakota Voters
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November 3, 2008
Sioux Falls, SD - For the second time in as many years, South Dakota voters will decide Tuesday whether to accept or reject a measure that outlaws abortions in the state. Proponents of Measure 11 say it would eliminate the use of abortion as a means of birth control, and that it provides exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and where the health of the mother is threatened. But Jan Nicolay with the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families says the initiative threatens the medical community with government intrusion into medicine.
"You look at what the mainstream medical community consensus is, and they're telling you that this threatens the practice of medicine, and threatens the women and the families of our state significantly, because they will not be able to practice medicine. They will not be able to work with their patients without the fear of legal consequences. And that's very dangerous for them."
Supporters say doctors have nothing to fear from Measure 11, and that it will not affect how medicine is practiced in South Dakota. Nicolay points to the State Medical Association, the Association of OBGYNs, and other hospital doctors who have taken a position against the measure.
"And the reason for that is, there is no definition of accepted standards of medical practice. Those are the key words in Measure 11 that make it very difficult for doctors to be able to practice medicine as they feel they should in the best interest of their patient."
Nicolay says the state already has the strictest abortion regulations in the country, with a required 24-hour waiting period, mandatory sonograms, and parental notification if the patient is under the age of 18. She says abortion isn't something anyone takes lightly, and to characterize it otherwise is an insult to women and to doctors who decide that the procedure is appropriate.