Almost immediately after Bush’s two Supreme Court nominees were approved, the final assault on a woman’s right to choice began. And South Dakota was where the right wing chose to start, though many other states are poised to follow. South Dakota is the front line in the battle for women’s rights right now. This is something that needs to be a major focus of our attention.

On March 6 of this year, South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds signed into law the most restrictive abortion ban in the nation – a total ban on abortions. Women will no longer be in control of their reproductive choices. The law is so extreme that even women who are victims of rape and incest will have no options available to them. Women whose health is in danger will no longer be able to make their own health care decisions. Doctors will go to jail. And South Dakota will spend millions in court battles for years to come.

The new South Dakota law is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2006 unless nearly 17,000 signatures are gathered to refer it to the November ballot when voters would decide its’ fate.

As a result of the passage of this extreme new law, a coalition of leaders has formed the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families to refer it to voters in November and to campaign for the repeal of the abortion ban. A petition drive to refer the law began on March 24.

The Healthy Families Campaign is the umbrella group for the campaign. It is co-chaired by 16 prominent South Dakota leaders from all corners of the state, from both political parties, young and old, ministers, doctors, nurses, the leader of the largest Native American tribe and two students. Many groups have endorsed this effort and are working with the Healthy Families Campaign. They include Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Focus South Dakota, Democracy in Action, The Mainstream Coalition, the ACLU, Grassroots South Dakota, South Dakota Advocacy Network for Women, the National Women’s Political Caucus, Native American Women Health & Education Resource Center, Pastors for Moral Choices, Republican Majority for Choice and many other groups and individuals.

The South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families is organized as a South Dakota Ballot Committee and is registered with the South Dakota Secretary of State and the IRS. The Ballot Committee can accept unlimited

Thanks to NARAL-Pro Choice for keeping track of this information at prochoiceamerica.org : New York Legislation.

I have made myself a promise : EQUALITY, AUTONOMY AND FREEDOM are going to be my issues to jour in the coming elections. I believe many legislative and political decisions made in this country in the last 20 years have been towards curtailing these three precepts of our culture.

We've lost ground on equal rights under the law, not just on reproductive issues, but in the broader idea of social justice. So you have environmental, educational or even national & state security policies that disregard the precepts of equal protection under the law.

We have lost ground also on law regarding autonomy : Reproductive autonomy and hence the individual autonomy of women --especially teenagers. Personal autonomy is, of course, springs from the more general idea of freedom. Autonomy though, when it involves a child and their learning path --a path that may take them against schooling--; is not only negated but attacked in many education regulations and laws in this state; making it one of the least progressive states in the country when it comes to education legislation.

As to freedom; there is nothing more patently against freedom than the Patriot Act. Less 'in your face' but more of a nightmare are the digital restrictions management laws which have been successfully been used not only to curtail the free movement of ideas in this country but even of people (aka, workers carrying 'intellectual property' owned by their employers).

In the following list of bills you can see a pattern of mandated co-ersion. Women under the law have become nothing more than incubators in a political game of human harvesting.

ABORTION BANS AFTER 12 WEEKS
Bill Number: NY A 6433
Summary: Bans safe, medically appropriate abortions as early as 12 weeks of pregnancy without exception to protect women's health.
Sponsor: Manning (R)
Introduced: 03/11/2005
Last Action: Introduced

Bill Number: NY S 1868
Summary: Bans safe, medically appropriate abortions as early as 12 weeks of pregnancy without exception to protect women's health.
Sponsor: Maltese (R)
Introduced: 02/04/2005
Last Action: Introduced

ABSTINENCE-ONLY
Bill Number: NY A 554
Summary: Appropriates funds for abstinence education.
Sponsor: Office of the Governor
Introduced: 01/18/2005
Last Action: Enacted with Governor's Signature
Last Action Date: 04/12/2005

ANTI-CHOICE CLINICS
Bill Number: NY A 555
Summary: Relates to providing funds for anti-choice clinics that are barred from providing women with access to the full range of reproductive health options.
Sponsor: Office of the Governor
Introduced: 01/18/2005
Last Action: Enacted with Governor's Signature
Last Action Date: 04/12/2005

BIASED COUNSELING AND MANDATORY DELAY
Bill Number: NY A 4753
Summary: Mandates parental consent prior to a young woman obtaining an abortion without an exception to protect young women's health. Requires women receive state-mandated lecture prior to obtaining abortion services; prohibits abortion unless women wait an additional 24 hours after receiving lecture.
Sponsor: Barra (R)
Introduced: 02/14/2005
Last Action: Introduced

Bill Number: NY A 5696
Summary: Requires women receive state-mandated lecture prior to obtaining abortion services; prohibits abortion unless women wait an additional 24 hours after receiving lecture.
Sponsor: Young (R)
Introduced: 02/25/2005
Last Action: Introduced

Bill Number: NY S 1869
Summary: Requires women receive state-mandated lecture which may include medically inaccurate information prior to obtaining abortion services; prohibits abortion unless women wait an additional 24 hours after receiving lecture.
Sponsor: Maltese (R)
Introduced: 02/04/2005
Last Action: Introduced

REFUSAL TO PROVIDE MEDICAL SERVICES
Bill Number: NY S 1873
Summary: Allows certain individuals or entities to refuse to perform abortion services and to refuse to dispense or provide contraceptives in all or most circumstances.
Sponsor: Maltese (R)
Introduced: 02/04/2005
Last Action: Introduced

RESTRICTIONS ON LOW-INCOME WOMEN'S ACCESS TO ABORTION
Bill Number: NY A 4910
Summary: Restricts low-income women's access to abortion except in cases of life endangerment.
Sponsor: Barraga (R)
Introduced: 02/15/2005
Last Action: Introduced

Bill Number: NY A 6119
Summary: Restricts low-income women's access to abortion.
Sponsor: Kirwan (R)
Introduced: 03/04/2005
Last Action: Introduced

Bill Number: NY S 5623
Summary: Restricts low-income women's access to abortion except in cases of life endangerment, rape, or incest.
Sponsor: Rules Cmt
Introduced: 06/08/2005
Last Action: Passed Senate
Last Action Date: 06/15/2005

RESTRICTIONS ON YOUNG WOMEN'S ACCESS TO ABORTION
Bill Number: NY A 4753
Summary: Mandates parental consent prior to a young woman obtaining an abortion without an exception to protect young women's health. Requires women receive state-mandated lecture prior to obtaining abortion services; prohibits abortion unless women wait an additional 24 hours after receiving lecture.
Sponsor: Barra (R)
Introduced: 02/14/2005
Last Action: Introduced

Bill Number: NY A 6439
Summary: Mandates parental notice prior to a young woman obtaining an abortion without adequate health exception.
Sponsor: Reilich (R)
Introduced: 03/11/2005
Last Action: Introduced

Bill Number: NY S 2139
Summary: Mandates parental consent prior to a young woman obtaining an abortion without an exception to protect young women's health. Requires women receive state-mandated lecture prior to obtaining abortion services; prohibits abortion unless women wait an additional 24 hours after receiving lecture.
Sponsor: Padavan (R)
Introduced: 02/09/2005
Last Action: Introduced

RESTRICTIONS ON YOUNG WOMEN'S ACCESS TO FAMILY PLANNING
Bill Number: NY A 8075
Summary: Pharmacy access to emergency contraception (EC). Allows pharmacists to dispense EC directly to women without a prescription. Restricts young people's access to contraception by requiring parental notice.
Sponsor: Manning (R)
Introduced: 05/03/2005
Last Action: Introduced

SEPARATE LEGAL STATUS FOR EMBRYOS AND FETUSES
Bill Number: NY A 4544
Summary: Amends definition of "person" in portions of criminal code to include "an unborn child at any stage of gestation."
Sponsor: Seddio (D)
Introduced: 02/10/2005
Last Action: Introduced

Bill Number: NY S 1867
Summary: Amends definition of "decedent" in section of civil law to include fetus.
Sponsor: Maltese (R)
Introduced: 02/04/2005
Last Action: Introduced

Bill Number: NY S 2515
Summary: Amends definition of person in portions of criminal code to include "unborn child at any stage of gestation." Amends homicide laws to allow an "unborn child" to be a victim of crime separate and apart from the pregnant woman at any stage of pregnancy.
Sponsor: Maltese (R)
Introduced: 02/18/2005
Last Action: Introduced

I will be coming back to these legislations because I am particularly interested in knowing more about the sponsors, whether they are running on 2006, and if so, what are their fundraising machines.

As you can see they are all republicans.

A special screening of the award-winning documentary The Education Of Shelby Knox will take place at 8pm in 304 Barnard Hall, at 117th St and Broadway, on Thursday, October 20th, followed by a Q & A session with Shelby Knox and director Rose Rosenblatt at approximately 9:30 pm. The screening is sponsored by student groups Students for Choice, Columbia University College Democrats and Q. The Education of Shelby Knox is a coming-of-age story about Knox’s campaign for comprehensive sex education in the high schools of her Lubbock, Texas. As Shelby is swept into the fight, she begins to question her deeply conservative Southern Baptist upbringing; when the campaign broadens to include a fight for a gay-straight alliance, Shelby confronts her family and her pastor, in the end declaring herself a feminist and a liberal Christian. The Education of Shelby Knox has won awards at the Sundance, South By Southwest and Miami Gay and Lesbian film festivals, and has been called “Well-made and extremely funny" by Film Threat and “Brilliant