The abortion fight is one of the most contentious women’s legal issues in the US. There’s a vocal and passionate group fighting on each side and they will do anything they can to preserve what they see as right. It seems that every week new bills and measures are enacted or proposed in city and state governments and the US Senate and House of Representatives are frequently batting legislation related to abortion back and forth.
South Dakota is a hub for anti-abortion activity on the part of the government. In 2004 the legislature passed a bill that banned abortions. It was vetoed by the governor. In 2005 they passed a similar bill that banned abortions only if the Supreme Court reverses Roe v. Wade. In 2005 they passed a bill that requires parents be notified if a minor has an abortion. In 2006 the legislature passed another bill banning abortions outright. Their efforts were overturned so in 2008 a measure was put on the ballot so the citizens could vote to ban abortions. It was voted down by in a 55%-45% vote. They’ll keep trying and they’re not the only state government to do so.
Most anti-abortion legal wrangling has been done in more subtle ways, like pulling any funding for Planned Parenthood. One could argue that those actions cause more abortions since they’re really just depriving young women of birth control which prevents them from getting pregnant. Bills are proposed and passed that limit the ability of insurance companies to cover abortion care, even for women that receive abortions to avoid health issues raised by something going wrong with the pregnancy. There’s a ton of information on the legal battle surrounding abortion; thousands of words are written daily. You can find more online at any one of the hundreds of sites that cover it.