Media Center: Press Release

Defeat of South Dakota Abortion Ban is a Victory for Women’s Health, Say Physicians
11/08/2006

“The majority of Americans believe that abortion should remain legal, and that politicians must stop interfering in the practice of medicine.”

New York, NY—Voters in South Dakota have rejected an extreme abortion ban passed by the state legislature last spring.  Referred Law 6, also known as the South Dakota Abortion Ban, would have outlawed all abortions except those necessary to save a woman’s life.

“The people of South Dakota have spoken, and our nation needs to listen,” says Dr. Wendy Chavkin, chair of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health (PRCH).  “The majority of Americans believe that abortion should remain legal, and that politicians must stop interfering in the practice of medicine.  I am thrilled that women and doctors in South Dakota will continue to have access to all reproductive healthcare options, including abortion.  If politicians truly want to protect women’s health, they must respect the thoughtful decisions women make and leave technical healthcare decisions to the physicians and other medical professionals who treat women every day.”

Doctors within South Dakota were active in the campaign to oppose Referred Law 6.  PRCH spoke with more than 200 physicians in the state, more than 80 percent of whom opposed the ban because it interferes with the ability of doctors to make medical decisions together with their patients.

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