If you have not done so already, please contact the Senate members and tell them to vote no on this legislation! Session starts at 1:00 PM today and you may call the Senate floor during session at 605-773-3821. You also may email your Senator at anytime.

HB1185 makes it nearly impossible for SD women to obtain a health-insurance plan that includes coverage for abortion if they are purchasing their coverage from the state’s health-insurance exchange – even if they are paying for their insurance entirely with their own funds!

This anti-choice bill continues to persist despite the fact the state of South Dakota and the governor have said that we should wait to pass health care reform related legislation until constitutional questions are resolved.

Please call 605-773-3821 and tell your legislator you oppose this legislation. Your senator needs to hear from you! It is essential to let the Senate know that we do not support this bill.

Both of the following bills are up for consideration in front of the Senate Health and Human Services committee Friday morning.

HB1255 is an anti-surrogacy bill that makes it extremely difficult to build a family for those that face infertility disease. The bill bans contracts for any form of surrogacy and thus removes any protections intended parents and surrogates have under the law. Proponents argue this bill is necessary to prevent baby selling, which is already illegal in South Dakota. The only thing this bill accomplishes is create questions and doubts for parents who want to complete their family.

Contact the committee members listed below and your State Senators and tell them this is the wrong path for South Dakota to take on surrogacy, and ask them to vote against HB1255.

Also up tomorrow is HB1185. In its current form the bill goes beyond federal and state restrictions already in place by prohibiting private insurance companies from offering coverage for abortion services as part of a regular health insurance policy inside health care exchanges created under the federal health care reform; the restriction remains even if paid 100 percent out of pocket. It creates additional burdensome government regulations that would likely stop any, including voluntary, coverage for abortion in health care policies.

Regardless of how you feel about abortion coverage in health care exchanges, the bill is premature as South Dakota and the governor have taken a wait and see approach on health care reform.

Tell the committee members to follow the Governor’s advice and vote to stop HB1185.

We need your help to contact the committee members below and voice your concerns about these bills.

Sen. Jim Bradford
Sen. Ried Holien
Chair Sen. Jean Hunhoff
Vice Chair Sen. Elizabeth Kraus
Sen. Shantel Krebs
Sen. Bruce Rampelberg
Sen. Todd Schlekeway

You may also call your Senators at 605-773-3821 to voice your opinion or email them using the following link:

http://legis.state.sd.us/email/LegislatorEmail.aspx

Don’t know your Senator? Find them here:

http://legis.state.sd.us/who/index.aspx

Please contact your Senators and ask that they vote against HB1254. South Dakotans have overwhelmingly and repeatedly rejected such intrusive measures at the ballot box and want their legislators to focus on pertinent issues.

You may call your Senators at 605-773-3821 to voice your opinion or email them using the following link:

http://legis.state.sd.us/email/LegislatorEmail.aspx

Don’t know your Senator? Find them here:

http://legis.state.sd.us/who/index.aspx

Key points to keep in mind about HB1254:

• HB1254 revisits the coercive mandated counseling women must endure from unlicensed, unregulated pregnancy centers prior to obtaining a legal abortion. The law, passed last year, was swiftly enjoined by the courts and remains under review. HB1254 revises the statute, but leaves the most egregious aspects of the law in place. Women in South Dakota would still face the longest delay in the nation and would still be required to go to nonmedical, ideological “Crisis Pregnancy Centers” for the purpose of dissuading women who seek abortion care from a physician.
• Just like the law passed last year, HB1254 is unconstitutional and far out of step with South Dakota voters.
• The State of South Dakota has spent the better part of the last fifteen years tied up in litigation around similar poorly crafted, unconstitutional laws, and it has cost South Dakota taxpayers over a half a million dollars in fees, not to mention thousands of attorney hours and state resources.
• This is yet another attempt at what South Dakotans have overwhelmingly rejected time after time at the ballot box: government intruding into personal decisions best made by a woman and her family.

We need your help today to contact the committee members below and tell them to stop this misguided bill.

Sen. Jim Bradford
Sen. Ried Holien
Chair Sen. Jean Hunhoff
Vice Chair Sen. Elizabeth Kraus
Sen. Shantel Krebs
Sen. Bruce Rampelberg
Sen. Todd Schlekeway

Please contact the committee members and tell them South Dakotans have overwhelmingly and repeatedly rejected such intrusive measures at the ballot box and want their legislators to focus on pertinent issues.

You may call the committee members and your Senators at 605-773-3821 to voice your opinion or email them at the following link:

http://legis.state.sd.us/email/LegislatorEmail.aspx

Don’t know your Senator? Find them here:

http://legis.state.sd.us/who/index.aspx

Key points to keep in mind about HB1254:

• HB1254 revisits the coercive mandated counseling women must endure from unlicensed, unregulated pregnancy centers prior to getting permission to obtain an abortion. Thankfully, that law is currently enjoined as it makes its way through the courts. However, in the revised bill, proponents have added additional requirements to an already bad law. Women still are forced to talk to someone who is not their doctor about their private medical decisions and doctors are still forced to provide erroneous and misleading information to women about their medical care all while facing an unprecedented 72 hour waiting period.
• Just like the law passed last year, House Bill 1254 is unconstitutional and far out of step with South Dakota voters.
• The State of South Dakota has spent the better part of the last fifteen years tied up in litigation around similar poorly crafted, unconstitutional laws, and it has cost South Dakota taxpayers over a half a million dollars in fees, not to mention thousands of attorney hours and state resources.
• This is yet another attempt at what South Dakotans have overwhelmingly rejected time after time at the ballot box: government intruding into personal decisions best made by a woman and her family.

Three bad bills have cleared the House and remain up for consideration on the Senate side; we must remain vigilant and tell our Senators that these bills are out of step with South Dakota values.

HB1254 revisits the coercive mandated counseling women must endure from unlicensed, unregulated pregnancy centers prior to getting permission to obtain an abortion. Thankfully, that law is currently enjoined as it makes its way through the courts. However, in the revised bill, proponents have added additional requirements to an already bad law. Women still are forced to talk to someone who is not their doctor about their private medical decisions and doctors are still forced to provide erroneous and misleading information to women about their medical care all while facing an unprecedented 72 hour waiting period.

HB 1254 will be up for a committee hearing on February 22^nd.  Please contact the committee members below and tell them to stop this misguided legislation. South Dakotans have overwhelmingly rejected such intrusive measures at the ballot box and want their legislators to focus on pertinent issues.

Sen. Jim Bradford
Sen. Ried Holien
Chair Sen. Jean Hunhoff
Vice Chair Sen. Elizabeth Kraus
Sen. Shantel Krebs
Sen. Bruce Rampelberg
Sen. Todd Schlekeway

Also slated to be heard before the committee, but not yet scheduled are House Bills 1185 and 1255 – Both examples of the harm that government overreach can cause.

HB1255 is an anti-surrogacy bill that resurfaced in the current legislative session. Last year saw a surrogacy ban that went after doctors, lawyers and parents desperate to have a child and turned them into criminals. This year’s bill has already seen numerous changes in an attempt to ensure passage. However, the current version bans contracts for any form of surrogacy and removes any protections intended parent’s and surrogates have under the law.  Proponents argue this bill is necessary to prevent baby selling, which is already illegal in South Dakota. The only thing this bill accomplishes is create questions and doubts for parents who want to complete their family. Contact the committee members listed above and your State Senators and tell them this is the wrong path for South Dakota to take on surrogacy and ask them to vote against HB1255.

HB1185 , in its current form, goes beyond federal restrictions already in place by prohibiting private insurance companies from offering coverage for abortion services as part of a regular health insurance policy inside health care exchanges created under the federal health care reform; the restriction remains even if paid 100 percent out of pocket. It creates additional burdensome government regulations that would likely stop any, including voluntary, coverage for abortion in health care policies. Regardless of how you feel about abortion coverage in health care exchanges, the bill is premature as South Dakota and the governor have taken a wait and see approach on health care reform.

Contact the committee members below as well as your State Senators and tell them these bills are wrong for South Dakota and ask them to vote against HB1185 and HB1255.

Sen. Jim Bradford
Sen. Ried Holien
Chair Sen. Jean Hunhoff
Vice Chair Sen. Elizabeth Kraus
Sen. Shantel Krebs
Sen. Bruce Rampelberg
Sen. Todd Schlekeway

Please remain vigilant as session comes to an end.  This year may have lacked the “fireworks” of outrageous legislation we battled in previous sessions, but these quieter attacks on reproductive choice can have the same negative impact on women and families as the blatant assaults we have seen in the past.

Also, please remember to attend your cracker barrels and legislative coffee this weekend!