South Dakota Republican lawmakers want clarity for the state’s abortion laws. They propose a video
Associated Press— South Dakota’s Republican-controlled Legislature on Thursday approved the creation of a video to outline the state’s abortion laws and to clarify when health care providers are legally allowed to intervene. Republican Sen. Erin Tobin told a Senate panel on Wednesday that a video could be used by hospitals and health care systems “to review their policies and to educate all employees” and would be “an actual way to battle misinformation in the state of South Dakota.” The video will be publicly accessible online, she said. Senior legislative affairs specialist Ally Brandner said, “At Sanford, we realize that we are entrusted with both the life of the pregnant mother and the child, and we appreciate the sponsor’s efforts to provide clarity around our abortion.” Noem spokesman Ian Fury, who is the governor’s “unborn child advocate,” said the administration will make the proposed video and materials available on South Dakota’s pregnancy resource website “to make sure that we are offering peace and knowledge to moms, families and the general public and that they can access those resources as well.” American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota Advocacy Manager Samantha Chapman said the bill “does not solve the fundamental problem that we’re facing here, which is that our underlying statutes are too vague to reasonably inform a medical practitioner as to what they are legally allowed to do in an emergency.” The video’s budget is expected to be $50,000, but it might cost less, Health Secretary Melissa Magstadt told the Senate panel. Democratic Senate Minority Leader Reynold Nesiba said the video bill would open the state to litigation for attempting to influence the measure’s election outcome.