South Dakota = major drag.

You cannot outlaw abortion, you can only outlaw illegal abortion

Before I really get into the post, I would like to preface it with a little disclaimer: despite my strong pro-choice stance and the fact that I have never personally been faced with this situation, I find the issue very complicated, and am in no way intolerant of someone else's opinion... when it comes to their own personal bodily choice.

Ok.

In 1973 the landmark abortion case Roe v Wade was decided by the Supreme Court and abortion became legal in all fifty of the United States ("up until the point at which the fetus becomes viable"... thanks for being so clear guys).

Below is a list of abortion legislation that occurred in South Dakota following Roe v Wade

1977 - the South Dakota legislation amended the abortion statute, requiring medical attention for infants born alive during abortions

1980 - passed a law requiring 24-hour waiting period before an abortion

1981 - adopted law protecting medical personnel and institutions for refusal to participate in abortions

1982 - changed the law to allow county and municipal hospitals to adopt no-abortion policies

1993 - passed a law requiring parental notification for minors, informed consent, + the 24hr wait period

1997 - passed first partial-birth abortion ban

1998 - passed a law protecting pharmacists who refused to dispense abortion medications, etc.

2000 - passed a law prohibiting anyone other than physicians from performing or inducing abortions

2004 - passed a bill that tried to ban abortions in South Dakota and allow them only if a woman's life was in danger or if she faced grave health risks. Bill was vetoed by Gov. Mike Rounds.

That same year another bill was rejected, which would have required hospitals to offer information about emergency contraception to rape victims.

I remember this well. My roommate at the time was the uber-driven and successful grand-daughter of a South Dakota state legislator who, though he is a self-confirmed "life long republican," has always been on the side of choice when it comes to abortions, (perhaps because he is Jewish and doesn't share the same religious philosophies of much of the Right that ultimately lead to their opinion over the topic). Anyway, he was so involved in the dispute, he flew my then-roommate from New York City out to South Dakota, which I never actually realized had existed before that very moment, to testify on behalf of young women everywhere. She came back a couple days later, showing of her front-page cover in the local - or possibly state - press. I was in awe.

Then came the first statewide vote to completely ban abortion in 2006, which lost 55% to 44%. One major reason that was cited was the bills lack of a threat to life clause, which provides exceptions to the ban when the life of the mother is at risk if the pregnancy continues. So they tweaked it a little and it only took two years to get the bill back on the statewide ballot. When people in South Dakota go to the polls this coming Tuesday, they will once again be voting on whether or not to issue a statewide ban.

This is more-or-less in line with the McCain/Palin stance. While Palin abhors all abortion, McCain believes Roe v Wade was a fundamentally flawed decision and should be overturned and replaced by statewide laws. Here is the problem with that:

Regional restriction denies choice, more or less completely, for people living within the light blue areas on the map above. If a girl in Mississippi has an unwanted pregnancy, she is not left with very many options, especially if she is without funds or access to help, and thus, illegal abortions will begin to exist again, even in a country that has access.

Abortion was criminalized throughout the U.S. between the late 1800s and 1973. But during that time, millions of women sought and obtained abortions anyway. Of these, tens upon tens of thousands died from illegal abortions or complications arising from them. One 1932 study estimated that illegal abortions or complications from them were the cause of death for 15,000 women each year. Current, more conservative, estimates of the death toll still stand at between 5,000 and 10,000 deaths per year.