Media Center: Press Release

New York, NY—Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health (PRCH) today released a statement from its board of directors calling on voters in South Dakota to reject the statewide abortion ban known as Referred Law 6.

“On behalf of physician members nationwide, the Board of Directors of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health strongly denounces the Women’s Health and Human Life Protection Act, also known as the South Dakota Abortion Ban and as Referred Law 6.

“HB 1215 passed the South Dakota State Legislature in March and was signed into law by Governor Mike Rounds.  It bans all abortion procedures except those to save the life of the woman.  It does not even allow abortions for survivors of rape or incest or for those whose health would be seriously compromised by the pregnancy.  This politically motivated legislation is based on the erroneous conclusions of the South Dakota Task Force to Study Abortion, and is not supported by medically accurate, scientific evidence.

“As doctors, our patients’ health is our first priority.  We want to provide the best possible medical care for our patients, but we cannot do so when politicians dictate which procedures are appropriate and legal.  Intimate healthcare decisions should be made by a woman and her doctor, not by politicians.  Lawmakers are not trained or equipped to make medical decisions, and should not be dictating which procedures a doctor can offer.

“This law criminalizes physicians for offering a safe medical procedure that may be in the best interest of our patients.  It eliminates abortion as a reproductive healthcare option for women in South Dakota.  We know from this country’s long history prior to Roe v. Wade that banning abortion does not eliminate women’s need for abortion—it only drives the procedure underground, increasing the risk of substandard care and death.  The law leaves physicians in South Dakota powerless to help our female patients.

“If the purpose of the law is to eliminate unintended pregnancy, policymakers should support comprehensive sexuality education and should increase access to contraception and emergency contraception rather than banning a safe medical procedure.

“The Board of Directors of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health intends to inform our colleagues and the public of our position, and to encourage active support of the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families and defeat Referred Law 6.”

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