DN/refused 0%

(strongly/somewhat agree, strongly/somewhat disagree)

(strongly/somewhat agree, strongly/somewhat disagree)

I didn't get to go to the conference this weekend, but they're still working at it!

Today's News & Views
June 19, 2006

Louisiana Enacts Pro-Life Law

Part Two

Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco Saturday signed into a law an abortion measure that will take effect if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade or if a constitutional amendment is ratified that would give states the authority to prohibit abortions. The Louisiana measure is commonly referred to as a "trigger" law, a law which takes effect if something else takes place first.

Thus the new law should not be subject to any current constitutional challenge and will go into effect when Roe v. Wade is reversed.

Abortions would be allowed to save the life of the mother or to prevent "a substantial risk of death due to a physical condition or to prevent the serious permanent impairment of a life-sustaining organ" of the woman, according to (New Orleans) Times-Picayune.

Gov. Blanco signed the law after the Louisiana Senate accepted by a vote of 27-0 changes made to its proposal by the House.

Currently there are at least five votes on the United States Supreme Court to uphold Roe v. Wade. Justices Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, and John Stevens voted in favor of Roe in the case of Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Justices Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, appointed by President Bill Clinton, are known to support Roe.

Two justices, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, are known to oppose Roe. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito have not yet voted on Roe's holdings.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Dave Andrusko at dandrusko@nrlc.org.

Why do we get to subject our morals onto living beings by having an abortion if all the pro-choicers complain that we're subjecting our morals onto them by being pro-life. If A=B and B=C then A=C

I was talking to Brooke at work. She was talking how great of a mom she is. She takes her daughter to all the concerts she wants to go to. Then she mentioned Fall Out Boy and I don't see many 6 year olds listening to Fall Out Boy. Brooke looks about 25 so I asked how old her daughter is and she says 13. My mouth dropped and I asked how old she is. She said she is 26. She then informed me that when she was 13 she was raped. Yes, crap happens in our life, but optimism always helps. She kept the baby and says it's the best thing that's ever happened in her life. Everything happens for a reason and I know people don't believe that but it's true. Brooke's a hero of mine.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-02-23-sd-abortions_x.htm?csp=34

South Dakota Senate passes abortion ban

The bill, designed to spark a courtroom showdown over the legality of abortion, passed 23-12 Wednesday. On Thursday, it was headed back to the House, where lawmakers already approved similar legislation.

Republican Gov. Mike Rounds, a longtime abortion opponent, has said he would "look favorably" on an abortion ban if it would "save life."

Under the measure, doctors in South Dakota would face up to five years in prison for performing an abortion. The only exception would be for women who need abortions to save their lives.

"In my opinion, it is the time for the South Dakota Legislature to deal with this issue and protect the lives and rights of unborn children," said Sen. Julie Bartling, a Democrat and the bill's main sponsor.

By Joe Kafka, AP  Sens. Clarence Kooistra, left, and Ed Olson both voted against the anti-abortion measure, but it cleared the Senate, 23-12.

The legislation targets Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.

Opponents say it is too extreme and unconstitutional. Planned Parenthood, which operates the only clinic that provides abortions in South Dakota, pledged to challenge the measure if it become law.

"South Dakota's ban is the most sweeping abortion ban passed by any state in more than a decade," Planned Parenthood Federation of America lawyer Eve Gartner said in a written statement. She said the organization would do everything it could to ensure that women and their doctors, not politicians, made their health care decisions.

Supporters say an anonymous donor has pledged to provide South Dakota with $1 million to help defend the law in court.

The recent appointment of Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito make the U.S. Supreme Court more likely to consider overturning Roe v. Wade now, Bartling and other supporters said.

"It is a calculated risk to be sure, but I believe it is a fight worth fighting," said Sen. Brock Greenfield, a Republican who also is director of South Dakota Right to Life.

Some senators, including Republicans, were concerned that the legislation did not include exceptions for abortions in cases of rape or incest.

Republican Sen. Stan Adelstein said it would be "a continued savagery unworthy of South Dakota" to make a woman bear a child if she becomes pregnant as the result of rape.

The Legislature passed a similar bill two years ago, but Rounds issued a technical veto because it would have wiped existing restrictions off the books while the bill was involved in a court challenge.

Including Thursday, the Legislature has five days left before the official end of its session.