As November draws nearer, South Dakotans get closer to voting on whether to enshrine abortion care in the state constitution.
Abortion rights supporters on Friday announced they're forming a new group aimed at clarifying legal questions.
The abortion question has raged in South Dakota since the repeal of Roe V. Wade kicked the state’s restrictive abortion trigger law into effect, essentially banning the procedure except in cases to save the life of the mother.
Among the state abortion rights activists is the newly launched group called Lawyers for Freedom Amendment G. That’s the amendment that would limit how the state can regulate abortions.
Stephanie Pochop is a member of Lawyers for Freedom. She said the public and lawmakers aren’t always in line when it comes to the issue.
“It’s just another reason I’m very motivated to support Amendment G," Pochop said. "South Dakota voters have had this particular issue on the ballot before and have expressed a pretty strong opinion about wanting to make sure women can exercise the right to an abortion.”
That is referencing the Women’s Health and Human Life Protection Act, a legislative bill banning abortion overturned by South Dakota Voters in 2006.
On the other end of the debate is Life Defense Fund, a pro-life organization. Spokesperson Caroline Wood said the proposal is simply too radical.
“Just as a reminder, in South Dakota before Roe V. Wade was overturned and we had a trigger law go into effect that outlawed abortion except to save the life of the mother, we actually had abortion up to 22 weeks that was legal for women to have," Wood said. "So, with that being the case, this actually goes way further. It doesn’t just restore; it oversteps what South Dakotans would actually want.”
However, Pochop said there’s a significant amount of misinformation orbiting this proposal.
“There’s just a lot of conspiracy theories, and trust among members of the public that we can go say ‘this is what Amendment G does.’ Amendment G restores the Roe V. Wade rights that have existed for the last 50 years," Pochop said. "It’s not new, it’s not extreme, it’s not wild.”
The text of the proposed amendment can be found on the Secretary of State's website.