A South Dakota mother’s wish: Pass Amendment G to protect women in our state and their right to choose
As a mother, I find the overturning of Roe v. Wade deeply troubling. In South Dakota, we now face some of the harshest abortion laws in the nation. Amendment G is our best chance to protect our daughters and ensure they have the choices they deserve.
South Dakota has long prided itself on personal freedom, yet our radical abortion ban strips families of the ability to make crucial decisions. It places power in the hands of the government, and I simply do not need bureaucrats telling me what is best for my family.
If we allow this legislation to remain in place and vote NO on G, we risk opening the door to even more government control over our personal lives — our access to contraception and infertility treatment, who we choose to marry, where we practice our faith, how we educate our children and even our ability to travel freely.
Amendment G stands as a lifeline for victims of rape and incest. It’s appalling that our state currently forces women and children to carry the pregnancies of their attackers to term. We cannot sacrifice my daughter or another woman’s future; it’s both cruel and shameful. Women forced into pregnancy are four times more likely to live below the poverty line, three times less likely to work full time, and six times more likely to rely on public assistance.
South Dakota’s extreme abortion ban offers only one exception — for the life of the mother. This sends a terrible message to all women in South Dakota: that their suffering is acceptable, that they should be willing to risk their health and futures. Waiting until a mother is near death to intervene is unacceptable. We must demand better for the women and daughters of South Dakota.
Moreover, our state has shown a blatant disregard for the well-being of its current children. We see inadequate prenatal care, no paid paternity leave, insufficient support for preschool, and a lack of initiatives to tackle the childcare crisis. Our sex education is rooted in abstinence-only approaches, and access to birth control for teens is being restricted. Meanwhile, we have 300 children waiting for adoption, with an average age of 9, and 1,200 kids in foster care.
This is a pivotal moment for us as mothers and as advocates for our daughters’ futures. We must stand up and ensure that our voices are heard.
Erinn Williams is a mother of two children aged 9 and 12 who has lived in Sioux Falls for over 20 years. She has a reproductive history, like one in four American women, with an experience of pregnancy loss, ectopic pregnancy and postpartum complications. Her own history, concern for her daughter’s reproductive freedom, and protection from forced motherhood prompted her to join the fight to pass Amendment G.
Photo: proponents gathering signatures for Amendment G’s spot on the November ballot are shown above in an image from the Dakotans for Health Facebook page
