Okay, we admit it. When Gov. Daugaard confirmed the sky was indeed falling, we thought the Republicans in Pierre might actually be inspired to get to work.
Though we weren’t that moved by Rep. Kristi Noem’s rallying cry to her former colleagues in the Legislature, we thought her gratitude toward those in Pierre for having tough conversations might equate to tough solutions.
Then, we turned off Fox News.
Putting our thinking caps back on, we were shocked by the notion that Republicans in the South Dakota Legislature don’t think women have the capacity to make important medical decisions. Under South Dakota House Bill (HB) 1217, sponsored by State Representative Roger Hunt (R-Brandon), any woman who seeks reproductive services must first meet with a doctor to obtain an “independent determination” that her decision is “voluntary, uncoerced, and informed.” Thus, a woman must seek counseling from a pregnancy health center, and then have a doctor sign a consent form that allows her to seek reproductive services 72 hours later.
Yup, it’s been a long winter. Republicans want to have “tough” conversations about reproduction rather than fix the budget, afiscal mess proudly brought to you by the GOP.
South Dakota Democratic Party Chairman, Ben Nesselhuf, brings us back to reality with these words of wisdom: “Twice the voters have spoken on reproductive rights, and twice they’ve voted in support of a woman’s right to choose. Reasonable parties can agree to disagree on this issue. But time spent rehashing the battles of the past is time spent shirking from the problems of our budget today.”
So, remember, kids – play it safe, vote Democrat.