What happened in South Dakota

The disinformation campaign worked, at the end of the day, and enough people were convinced that there was no exception for rape and incest that the protection of life law was turned back. Even the reporting on it – and even by some pro-life sources who never totally understood the fullness of the HB 1215 “Women’s Health and Human Life Protection Law” — state that it would have passed it if had that exception. 

This is the common thinking on the result in South Dakota:

Polls before the vote showed the ban would have been approved easily had it included exceptions for rape or incest, though pro-life advocates don’t support aborting babies for those reasons.

The exception that was in the abortion ban was an easy one to obfuscate and deny, because it wasn’t a blanket nine month long approval of abortion for a woman who claimed rape or incest. It was the most narrowly worded, finely crafted exceptioin that absolutely did give those victims ability to prevent pregnancy from rape or incest. But fine points are easily overlooked and certainly easily distorted, and that’s what happened.

It’s not over. In fact, it began last year, and this movement to change abortion laws and the attitude toward abortion is well underway. This is only a temporary setback, as in…a day. Because it’s a new day.

Despite its loss, the abortion ban has already prompted other states to consider similar measures and state legislatures in even more states may follow South Dakota’s lead next year.

What happened in South Dakota is a new dynamic, and Planned Parenthood may sound victorious today, but they know after 33 years of abortion on demand, this turned it all around.

Campaign manager Leslee Unruh said the Vote Yes for Life on Six campaign succeeded in changing the rhetoric in the anti-abortion movement by emphasizing that “abortion hurts women.” She said she expects similar campaigns against abortion to take place in states including West Virginia and Texas.

“They’re never going to win, and we’re never going to quit,” Unruh said. “Women are being heard all over this nation and it started here in South Dakota.”

And it will continue there. Much more ahead, so much more. And soon…