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The anti-choice movement's ultimate goal is to outlaw abortion in all circumstances. While some states still have laws on the books that would ban abortion throughout pregnancy, Roe v. Wade's protections prevent these bans' enforcement. However, state legislatures across the country continue to consider enacting new total bans in order to challenge Roe in the courts. In addition, in the majority of state legislatures and Congress, anti-choice lawmakers have passed unconstitutional laws that would ban safe and medically appropriate abortion as early as the 12th week in pregnancy. Fourteen states, including South Dakota, Louisiana and Ohio, considered statewide abortion bans of their own during the 2006 legislative session. In November 2006, South Dakotans struck down the draconian abortion ban imposed by anti-choice politicians.
The Federal Abortion Ban
On April 18, 2007, the Supreme Court handed down its decision to uphold the Federal Abortion Ban. This decision shows Bush's appointees have moved the Court in a direction that could further undermine Roe v. Wade and protections for women's health. The door is now open for politicians like George W. Bush to interfere even more in our personal, private medical decisions. The Court has given anti-choice state lawmakers the green light to open the flood gates and launch additional attacks on safe, legal abortion, without any regard for women's health. Click here for more information.
Learn more by reading our fact sheets:
Behind the Ban: Politics and South Dakota's Abortion Ban
For more than a decade, anti-choice lawmakers and activists have pursued a strategy of imposing incremental restrictions on access to reproductive health care. While they often claim that they are simply enacting measures to protect women, it is clear that their true goal is to overturn Roe v. Wade—a goal that remains unpopular with the American public.
For two decades after Roe v. Wade, South Dakota imposed few restrictions on abortion. But beginning in the 1990s, national events—including changes in Congress, the Supreme Court, and the White House—galvanized far-right activists in South Dakota and elsewhere. Anti-choice politicians and organizations began using state legislatures as laboratories to experiment with new restrictions on women and doctors, pushing the boundaries of the law and, in many cases, attempting to ban abortion almost entirely. Click here to learn more. |
