House Bill 1212

Background: House Bill 1212 is an act to revise provisions in order to strengthen protections for unborn children.

Our Stance: The ACLU of South Dakota opposes House Bill 1212.

Pregnancy outcomes should not be criminalized. By introducing House Bill 1212, lawmakers are once again playing politics with our health care.

In 2023, the South Dakota legislature passed House Bill 1220, legislation that would ensure pregnant people who receive abortion care would not be criminally liable. Even organizations opposed to legal abortion, including South Dakota Right to Life, supported that bill.

The effects of criminalizing people who seek abortion fall hardest on women and people with low-incomes, people of color, young people, and other marginalized communities who are more likely to suffer the health, economic and life consequences of being forced to continue a pregnancy to term.