Media Contact

Janna Farley, jfarley@aclu.org

September 27, 2021

Reproductive rights advocates are organizing and planning to fight attacks on abortion access in South Dakota.

Just this month, Senate Bill 8 took effect in Texas. The egregious law prohibits abortion after six weeks —before most people even know they are pregnant — and offers a bounty for private citizens who successfully sue anyone who helps a patient seek an abortion. Closer to home, Gov. Kristi Noem applauded the Texas abortion ban and issued an executive order targeting telemedicine abortion.

Reproductive freedom advocates in South Dakota are organizing and rallying to keep abortion safe and legal in South Dakota. Supporters will hold a march in Sioux Falls on Oct. 2, a part of a National Day of Action across the country. To date, more than 1,000 people have RSVPed to the march.

Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund and the ACLU of South Dakota are encouraging people to take action ahead of the 2022 South Dakota legislative session by participating in the Sioux Falls Women’s March on Oct. 2 or by contacting their legislators.

“These attacks on abortion in South Dakota aren’t new. At their core, they are attempts to control people’s bodies and stigmatize essential health care,” said Kristin Hayward, manager of advocacy and development in South Dakota for Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund. “But anti-abortion politicians in our state have been emboldened by legislators in Texas who passed Senate Bill 8. That’s why those of us who support reproductive freedom are engaged and vigilant. Everyone deserves to make their own decisions about their body, their family and their future, including whether and when to become a parent.”

While South Dakotans have twice overwhelmingly voted down abortion bans, out-of-touch legislators continue to pass anti-abortion statutes with regularity, making South Dakota one of the toughest states in the nation to access abortion.

“For too many years, our legislators have been interfering with people’s personal health care decisions,” said Jett Jonelis, ACLU of South Dakota advocacy manager. “Politicians should be focusing on protecting the health, rights and well-being of all South Dakotans instead of devising new ways to attack reproductive rights with extreme legislation every year and politicizing heath care. We will continue to push back against the massive assault on access to abortion in South Dakota and across the country.”

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: We're Not Going Back! Sioux Falls Women’s March

WHEN: 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 2

WHERE: Carnegie Hall, 235 W. 10th St., Sioux Falls

DETAILS: On Facebook

About Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund

Founded in 1992, the Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit organization. As an advocacy and electoral arm of PPNCS, we mobilize supporters of all parties to defend and increase access to family planning services and fact based, medically accurate sexuality education. We work to inspire and engage citizens to take up the cause of reproductive health and rights through education, electoral activity, grassroots organizing and legislative advocacy.

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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