Anti-abortion money already pouring into South Dakota

[Shelor]

As the nation watches South Dakota to see whether Gov. Mike Rounds will sign a bill banning nearly all abortions in the state, abortion-rights supporters are already preparing legal action against the measure. Meanwhile, the House took the first steps Thursday to establish a special legal fund for abortion-related lawsuits, and some anti-abortion groups across the country are encouraging peers to send money to the state to fund a potential legal battle on the ban.

.......

A legal battle over the ban could potentially cost the state millions in legal fees, and Hunt recently testified to the House State Affairs Committee that the governor has received a pledge of $1 million from an anonymous donor. Rounds said he doesn't know who the donor is and that he's only heard a rumor that such a donor exists.

Amendments to HB1215 on both the House and Senate floors to establish a legal fund to collect such donations for a lawsuit have failed, but Hunt introduced a new bill Thursday that seeks to create a "life protection litigation" subfund. The "life protection subfund" is to be established under the state's existing extraordinary litigation fund. The legislature may put money into the fund, and private donations can be deposited there by the Bureau of Administration.

.......

At least one group of abortion opponents - Operation Rescue - is urging like-minded individuals to send donations to Rounds for the fund.

"We understand Gov. Rounds' financial concerns about the cost of litigating this law and promise, again, to do all we can to network with pro-life and pro-family groups to help ensure there are adequate resources to defend this bill all the way to the Supreme Court," Operation Rescue's president, Troy Newman, said in a statement Thursday.


http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060224/NEWS/602240326/1118

[Selatius]

1. There's got to be a way to strip special interest groups of money power

This country will never address its problems and flaws if the people who benefit off those problems and flaws are allowed to send money to Washington in the form of campaign donations or for political activity such as this. It should be banned.

[okieinpain]

2. I don't understand why any one would fight this. let the idiots in

SD ban abortions. wait a year or two and then will see how they feel when the younger citizens of SD start relocating to states where abortions are legal.

[Selatius]

3. What they want to happen is it will end up in the SCOTUS where...

a conservative leaning SCOTUS will--they hope--overturn Roe v. Wade. Then it goes back to the states to decide if it will be legal or illegal.

[okieinpain]

13. probably so, and the states that are making progress will legalize

abortion, probably even in texas, and all of the backward ass states like oklahoma will probably criminalize it. in the end the brain drain will continue and the young, and progressive will leave those areas and after a while those states will be begging for people to move back.

too bad the number of senators isn't tied to population.

[bluerum]

4. I agree. You hate to see this kind of thing but it will fall of its own

weight eventually.

Witness the stupidity in Iraq.

[Sal Minella]

5. So 2,000+ girls/women/mothers have to die from septic botched

home-made abortions before people realize this law is a terrible idea????

I can't imagine one person having such contempt/hatred for women as to pledge a million dollars toward making their lives a living hell.

[bluerum]

7. Sigh, its the religious fundy right and the mind/body control crowd.

Sacrificing someone elses life is not an issue for them. They are in love with the idea of nailing someone else to a cross.

[frogwater]

14. I think your comment is dishonest

As a self-described ardent Independent, I have close friends all over the ideological scale. That said, I find myself here in the unique position of speaking on behalf of those you describe as having "contempt/hatred for women". That is flat out wrong, and is an oft-repeated theme in pro-choice circles! I know a lot of people who wish to see abortion outlawed (yes, even here in Oregon), and it has nothing to do with some bizarre, made-up hatred or contempt of women. As I've stated clearly on other posts, they truly believe in protecting both women AND the embryo/fetus/baby they are carrying. Agree or not, that is the position.

Until we can stand up and defend abortion rights with a clear strategy based on its own merits, in truth and honesty (yes, abortion, whether legal or illegal kills an unborn biological human- that's an undeniable fact), and get away from falsely attacking our opponent's motives, we will continue to lose this battle. If we can not face the facts of abortion outright and fight the battle based on those facts, then we have no business even fighting. To do so ends up being a dishonest battle and we only deceive ourselves.

[bluerum]

15. You can defend abortion rights anyway you want. I see it as an

attempt to control someone else's life.

A woman should be able to choose whether or not she will have a child. Period. There is no religious, moral, emotional or legal argument to made here.

And, I did not say hatred or contempt for women. I said control. Control is quite different.

[Sal Minella]

16. The people who are so gravely concerned about the precious little

life of the precious little vulnerable darling 16-cell "human being" -- I would be a lot more willing to listen to this crowd if they showed any concern whatever for the precious little post-born babies and children.

You are doing a baby no favor by forcing it to be born into misery, poverty, neglect and hunger.

I am pro-DECENT-life. And the mother is the only one who has the moral right to decide whether the embryo/fetus/child has a chance at a decent life or not. It's her business, hers alone.

[okieinpain]

21. I agree with you 100 percent. these so-called baby defenders

could help reduce the number of abortions, by simply putting together a system that would help support mothers who feel they can't afford to have a child.

why can't they help pay rent in a decent neighborhood, health insurance, and pay for education. hell they want to do gods work so bad, just put up $100,000 for anybody that was thinking about having an abortion. just have them sign a contract that they won't abort the fetus, and that they will use the money to pay for housing, insurance, and schooling. but oh no that's too expensive right, yep all set to do gods work except when it hits that pocket book.

[Megahurtz]

26. I don't think you understand.

Some women/girls for whatever reasons just do not want to have a baby PERIOD.
No one should be forced or coerced to bear a child against their own will!

[Nobody]

27. Let's start with prevention first

Like ensuring that everyone, male or female, is educated about contraception - ALL of the methods, ALL of the pros and cons, everything about effectiveness, how to use, how to increase effectiveness, how to combine for better effectiveness.

And ensuring that contraception is widely available, and FREE (or at least VERY low cost so that low income women without child care don't conceive because they couldn't afford birth control.) If they can't that, they can't afford medical care during a pregnancy, during a delivery, and after any complications are dealt with.

The hypocrites want to ban abortion, but they have no interest in prevention either.

I'm a big fan of back-up plans. Focus on prevention, but allow abortion to be available without harassment at the clinics and without hoops to jump through and without the lies and propaganda. Abortion is a necessary back-ip plan. Women should be considered competant citizens who don't need big brother staring over her shoulder second-guessing every choice she makes, and TSKing at her no matter what she decides to do about what.

[hydrashok75]

23. I think Barney Frank said it best

"The right wing thinks the right to life starts at conception and ends at birth."

[Megahurtz]

25. Bravo! Well Said!

:applause:

[okieinpain]

18. I understand, but it's going to be signed by the gov. I just think that

it will back fire big time. so why waste time and money with these idiots. concentrate on keeping it legal in the blue states, and watch what happens once people start moving out of these so-called bible states.

[cali]

6. The right to an abortion in SD-

such as it is- will not be lost due to this legislation. The law, if signed by Rounds, will immediately be enjoined. It will then go to Fed court where it will be struck down. Federal law trumps state law, and abortion is still a constitutional right.

[Bushy Being Born]

8. Exactly!

That's why I don't understand why it's so important that Roe v. Wade remain law at all cost. All the overturning of that ruling would mean is that the decision would revert back to the states. And you can bet your ass most states will keep abortion legal, and the small number of fundie states that won't, well, we'll just let them fend for themselves and see how long they'll manage. It's not like they can keep their women from crossing the state line anyway.

[kestrel91316]

9. I'm sure they have their little plans lined up to do just that:

prevent women from traveling to another state for an abortion. They will just pass another law that says if you are diagnosed pregnant, and then are suddenly NOT pregnant, there has to be a murder investigation. NEVER underestimate the visciousness of these people.

[Sal Minella]

12. That would be the next logical step -- that all docs have to report

any and all pregnancies (or possible pregnancies) to a central fundy bureau for tracking -- so much for the idea of keeping government out of people's lives.

[MountainLaurel]

17. Already happening in some states, sort of

There was an article not long ago about how clinics in, I believe, Illinois, are no longer accepting under-18 patients from Missouti because of the latter's new laws on minors going out of state for abortions.

[okieinpain]

20. which will leave people no choice but to move. ha they are sooo

fucking stupid it's unbelievable.

[okieinpain]

19. oh I imagine that they will try and come up with some law to stop

travel while pregnant, or some dumb shit like that. which will make them look even more like the taliban.

[Mend]

10. I was hoping everyone would leave, especially the female types.

[zonmoy]

11. unfortunately the young will have to run

out of the country since the ones that ban abortion in south dakota also want to ban all freedom in the rest of the country and the world.

[Megahurtz]

24. Bad Idea.

Way too many underage girls with no resources to leave
will have to suffer because of that kind of thinking.

Fight it all the way!

[sarahlee]

22. Options

Please consider a donation to the SD Planned Parenthood, who will be on the front fighting for Women and CHOICE
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=217x3294#3370
http://http//ppmns.kintera.org/southdakota

Join the boycott
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=217x3294#3370
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=517459&mesg_id=517459

Please help spread the word about this boycott so SD women won't need this link:
an abortion manual
http://mollysavestheday.blogspot.com/2006/02/for-women-...

Where SD goes, so goes Nevada, Idaho, South Carolina . . . . . . this bill could be coming to a state near you!