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RedditBy a whopping twelve points, voters in South Dakota have defeated "Referred Law Number 6," a draconian ban on abortions, which would have outlawed the procedure in every instance, except to save the life of the mother. This contest was an important defeat for the grass-roots far-right forces in their quest to overturn Roe v Wade. It also affected other races in the state, costing Republicans a seat in the House of Representatives as well as several state legislators. The campaign was also an important test of pro-choice strategy; could the electoral process--something reproductive rights organizations have often feared--be a better guardian of our rights than the legislature or the courts?
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Andy Stern: Savior or Sellout?
Liza Featherstone: SEIU President Andy Stern heads one of the strongest unions in the country. Why is he so cozy with corporations?
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Surge for Peace
Liza Featherstone: Thanks to the efforts of the peace movement and a significant shift in public opinion, we can stop this war. But it's not going to be easy.
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Chávez's Citizen Diplomacy
Liza Featherstone: Venezuela's controversial program to provide heating oil to impoverished American communities exposes the inability of the richest nation on earth to meet the needs of its poor.
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Chávez's Citizen Diplomacy
Liza Featherstone: Venezuela's controversial program to provide heating oil to impoverished American communities exposes the inability of the richest nation on earth to meet the needs of its poor.
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A Win for Women
Liza Featherstone: Thanks to a thoughtful grassroots campaign, voters in South Dakota rejected a draconian abortion ban.
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Democracy Worked for SD Abortion Vote
Liza Featherstone: The electoral process worked for pro-choice advocates in South Dakota, overturning an abortion ban with a grassroots appeal to keep the government out of citizens' personal lives.
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Mean or Green?
Liza Featherstone: Wal-Mart is serious about bringing organic food to the masses, but transportation costs and the retail giant's aggressive competitive ways could end up hurting small farms and the environment.
What worked in South Dakota? First, South Dakota pro-choice activists seemed to have paid close attention to their local political culture, and talked about things that mattered to its citizens. "It was not, 'Our Bodies, Our Choice,' or 'Get Your Rosaries Off My Ovaries,'" laughs Roitman. Instead, the Campaign for Healthy Families emphasized a theme that resonated with South Dakotans: the idea that the government should not be interfering in people's most deeply personal decisions. Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, agrees. "I'm from the West, and the values of freedom and privacy really resonate with people."
Second, good-old-fashioned organizing proved effective. The Campaign for Healthy Families had more than 2,000 volunteers knocking on doors, standing on street corners, talking to their fellow citizens about freedom and privacy. (This in a state whose population is about 800,000, in a contest in which 335,000 people voted.)
In every county in which the campaign had an office, and a grass-roots volunteer operation, the pro-choice forces prevailed. The victory has dramatic implications for the future of the pro-choice movement. "I'm so excited to organize politically on this issue," says Lindsay Roitman. "It's fun to talk about this now!"
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