Victory: Moving On

By Shannon S.

Time certainly does fly, doesn't it? It's been two weeks since the overwhelming defeat of Initiated Measure 11. Exciting wasn't it? Once again, the voters of South Dakota spoke loud and clear: there is no desire for the Government to interfere in what are very personal decisions; there is no desire for the Government to interfere in the doctor/patient relationship.

Thanks to all of you who supported the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families in it's efforts to defeat this sweeping ban. Thank you for seeing IM 11 for what it really was, despite how our opposition "worded" it.

Now, it's time to look to the future. This is a mandate from the voters of this state. It's time to stop attempts at banning abortion, and instead work together on reducing the need for abortion care in the state. We can do that by working together on affordable and easy access to birth control, including emergency contraception. We can reduce unintended pregnancies through comprehensive sex education.

I am hopeful our opposition has heard the message and I'm hopeful that our elected officials have heard the message.

There is still much work to do. Let's get to it.