South Dakotans to vote on pro-abortion constitutional amendment

South Dakotans for Health told WORLD on Friday that it had received more than 46,000 valid signatures supporting the ballot initiative—roughly 11,000 more than it needed. The South Dakota Secretary of State also confirmed on Thursday that the initiative would be on the November ballot.

What does the initiative entail? South Dakota voters will decide whether to approve a constitutional amendment that would codify a right to abortion into South Dakota law. The amendment follows the language of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade opinion closely, with some changes, according to a document South Dakotans for Health provided to WORLD. The amendment would outlaw any protections for unborn babies during the first trimester of pregnancy.

What do pro-lifers have to say? “This measure poses a grave threat to the value of human life and the well-being of women,” South Dakota state Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt wrote in a statement on the South Dakota Right to Life’s website. The law eliminates the states’ ability to protect unborn babies from abortion through the end of the pregnancy, she added.