Today, the House Health and Human Services Committee advanced a bill that would ban medications involved in early abortion.
The ACLU of South Dakota opposes House Bill 1208. Banning a safe and standard method of terminating a pregnancy creates unnecessary restrictions for people accessing essential medical care.
“All people should have the ability to make decisions about their lives and bodies, to access abortion care when they need it, in the way that works best for them, and with the guidance and support of providers they trust,” said Jett Jonelis, ACLU of South Dakota advocacy manager. “Medication abortion is safe and should remain accessible to all South Dakotans without undue burdens imposed by politicians. We will continue to challenge efforts contrary to our right to make our own medical care decisions.”
Medication abortion is preferred by some patients because it allows patients to have more control over their abortion and more privacy. The most common method of medication abortion is a combination regimen of two oral medications: mifepristone and misoprostol.
Since mifepristone was first approved by the FDA in 2000, more than 4 million patients in the United States have relied on the mifepristone-misoprostol regimen to safely end their pregnancies. More recently, high-quality medical research also has confirmed its important role in helping to treat miscarriage.
About the ACLU of South Dakota
The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of civil liberties and civil rights. The ACLU of South Dakota is part of a three-state chapter that also includes North Dakota and Wyoming. The team in South Dakota is supported by staff in those states.
The ACLU believes freedoms of press, speech, assembly, and religion, and the rights to due process, equal protection and privacy, are fundamental to a free people. In addition, the ACLU seeks to advance constitutional protections for groups traditionally denied their rights, including people of color, women, and the LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit communities. The ACLU of South Dakota carries out its work through selective litigation, lobbying at the state and local level, and through public education and awareness of what the Bill of Rights means for the people of South Dakota.
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