Weiland: Overturning extreme abortion ban is a fight all South Dakotans must join by voting yes on Amendment G

As a father of two wonderful daughters, ages 31 and 27, and a proud grandfather to a loving 12-year-old granddaughter, this fight for reproductive health care is deeply personal to me. For the past two years, I’ve dedicated myself to overturning my state’s extreme abortion ban and restoring the rights that women held for five decades.

But let me be clear: this struggle transcends my own family. It’s about every woman in South Dakota who has seen her freedom stripped away — freedom to make her own choices about starting a family and protecting her health. It’s also about ensuring that doctors can practice their profession without fear of imprisonment.

The reality of South Dakota’s extreme abortion ban is nothing short of barbaric.  Scientific American reports that since Roe v. Wade was overturned, nearly 64,000 pregnancies caused by rape are estimated to have occurred in states which, like South Dakota, have total abortion bans – and that total only goes through January of this year. 1,300 of those pregnancies are estimated to have occurred here in South Dakota. Today a woman who becomes pregnant as a result of rape or incest has no options; she is forced to carry that pregnancy to term.

And for those expectant mothers who long to embrace motherhood but face a pregnancy with a fatal fetal abnormality, they too are compelled to suffer and carry that pregnancy to term, putting both their health and future family plans at risk.

This situation is simply horrific and unacceptable. We must restore the rights of women and allow doctors to provide the care they were trained to deliver. As a Catholic, I respect the teachings of my church, yet I recognize that my conscience must guide my decisions. The wise priests I’ve looked up to throughout my life have always encouraged me to listen to that inner voice. And recently, I found affirmation of this principle in the words of Pope Francis, a leader I admire greatly.

South Dakota’s abortion ban is too extreme. I will fight tirelessly to protect my family — and yours — starting with the passage of Amendment G. Let’s stand together against politicians and religious zealots who use their bully pulpits to restrict our freedoms and guilt our conscience.

Rick Weiland of Sioux Falls is the co-founder of Dakotans for Health and the official sponsor of Freedom Amendment G.