martygreene

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Quotes:
The bill, passed 54-15, would outlaw abortion unless a mother's life is in danger. It makes no exceptions for rape victims or women who could suffer permanent serious health problems by having babies.

``When we're considering an innocent life, the health of the mother is not a substantial enough justification to take the innocent life,'' said Republican Rep. Matt McCaulley, chief sponsor of the bill.

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"Rape and incest are truly traumatic, horrible crimes. The result is not a crime. The baby is not a crime. The baby has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," Weems said. "A woman who has been raped has been cruelly victimized. If she ends up pregnant, is it fair to her? No. It wasn't fair to be raped, and it's not fair to be pregnant. Then, do we kill her child? Will that make things fair? No."

The House overwhelmingly rejected a series of other amendments, including the following.

n A provision to require hospitals to counsel rape victims about and provide them with emergency contraception, sponsored by Rep. Casey Murschel, R-Sioux Falls.

n A provision to allow abortion in the event of "serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of major bodily function" of the mother, sponsored by Rep. Stan Adelstein, R-Rapid City.

n A provision to allow abortion in the case of a severely deformed baby unlikely to survive after birth, sponsored by Adelstein.

n A rewritten bill based on existing court decisions that would have allowed abortion through the 19th week of pregnancy, sponsored by Rep. Mel Olson, D-Mitchell.