We have heard much about the historic abortion ban that was passed by the South Dakota legislature and signed by the Governor on March 6, 2006. What you may not have heard about was how National Right to Life joined pro-abortion groups to kill the South Dakota abortion ban in 2004.
-- Patrick Jonston, July 10, 2006, NewsWithViews.com
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Report Regarding NRLC Role in Defeat of South Dakota Legislative Effort to Ban Abortion and Challenge Roe v. Wade
Wed, Mar 31, 2004
TO: CONCERNED PRO-LIFERS
DATE: March 31, 2004
FROM: Richard Thompson, Chief Counsel, Thomas More Law Center
RE: REPORT REGARDING THE NATIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE COMMITTEE’S ROLE IN THE DEFEAT OF SOUTH DAKOTA’S LEGISLATIVE EFFORT TO BAN ABORTION AND CHALLENGE ROE V. WADE
INTRODUCTION
Over the past week, the Thomas More Law Center has received numerous inquires questioning National Right to Life Committee’s (NRLC) role in the defeat of South Dakota’s House Bill 1191 (HB1191), designed to ban abortions, and described by major pro-abortion groups as “… the most sweeping anti-abortion state law enacted in our nation since before Roe v. Wade.” These calls of inquiry have related to a public statement from the Thomas More Law Center designed to inform the public about NRLC’s actions with respect to HB 1191.
All should know that HB 1191 caused a national alarm among pro-abortion groups. According to the March 2nd issue of the Argus Leader, Sondra Goldschein of the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project, speaking from her New York office, said that many states have attempted to limit abortion but none in the fashion of South Dakota: “I think we are just shocked by what the State Legislature is doing,” she says. “It’s the most extreme example I can think of, and it’s a real example.”
HB 1191 had the support of the Catholic Bishop whose Diocese covers the state capitol. It had the endorsement of nationally renowned pro-life constitutional scholars, Notre Dame law professors Charles Rice and Gerard Bradley. And it had the support of rank and file pro-lifers, many of whom braved a South Dakota snowstorm to demonstrate for the bill during the legislative sessions.
On March 22, 2004, we issued a public statement regarding HB 1191 because we believe that pro-life Americans are entitled to know that NRLC’s lobbying efforts aligned with those of Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion groups, and resulted in the defeat of this anti-abortion legislation. In our view, such conduct raises important questions about NRLC’s claim to represent the interests of the unborn.
In response to our public statement, NRLC issued a two-page form letter, which confirmed NRLC’s opposition to HB 1191 and defended its decision to oppose this legislative effort to outlaw abortions and directly challenge Roe v. Wade. It is necessary to provide this additional and more detailed statement because NRLC’s letter misstates the facts of this important matter.
Read on:
http://www.thomasmore.org/news.html?NewsID=195
