Initiated Measure 11: Don't Be Fooled

The New York Times published an editorial today (Abortion Rights on the Ballot, Again, Opinion, 10/13/2008) that lays it out.

The core message... don't be fooled: South Dakota's Initiated Measure 11 is RL6 "with lipstick:"
© 2006 Nick Coulas

To make the ban seem less harsh, its backers have included language purporting to make exceptions for incest, rape or the life and health of the mother. But no one should be fooled. The exceptions were drafted to make it nearly impossible to get an abortion, even during the first trimester of pregnancy.

The measure is clearly unconstitutional under existing Supreme Court rulings, and that’s just the point. The underlying agenda is to provide a vehicle for challenging Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion.