
CV NEWS FEED // A South Dakota lawmaker is pushing for a bill that requires the state’s government to create a video explaining that under current pro-life laws, doctors will not be prosecuted for treating ectopic pregnancies and performing other life-saving procedures.
Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt (R-Minnehaha) in January introduced HB 1224, which “[requires] the creation of an informational video and other materials describing the state’s abortion law and medical care for a pregnant woman experiencing life-threatening or health-threatening medical conditions”.
The bill requires that the state Department of Health create the video in collaboration with the attorney general, as well as health and legal experts.
“[Doctors] said that they were confused and not sure when they can intervene,” Rehfeldt said, according to KFF Health News. “I think it’s important that we provide that clarification because we all want moms to be taken care of.”
Abortion is illegal under current South Dakota law, except in instances where the life of the mother is at risk.
The video explainer would dispel the pro-abortion notion that doctors may go to jail for many legal OB-GYN procedures, such as treating an ectopic pregnancy.
Rehfeldt added, “If you have an interpretation [of a law about abortion] that’s coming from collaboration with the attorney general, as well as the pertinent medical professionals, as well as the current governor’s office, I don’t see how you would be worried about being charged with a crime.”
The state’s House of Representatives approved the bill on February 14, and the bill passed the Senate State Affairs on February 28.
CatholicVote previously published an explainer on pro-life legislation and the mother’s health, stressing that it is crucial to distinguish between treating an ectopic pregnancy and performing an elective abortion.
“Because ectopic pregnancies threaten the life of the mother, their proper treatment is not the same as getting an abortion and has never been considered as such in the pro-life laws of any state,” CatholicVote’s explainer read:
At one time, Planned Parenthood acknowledged that treating an ectopic pregnancy is not the same as having an abortion. Following the Dobbs decision, the organization manipulated the language on their website to mislead women into believing that there is no distinction between the two procedures, and that seeking treatment for an ectopic pregnancy is now widely illegal.
“Women who have been denied treatment for their life-threatening conditions or simply told to abort their children are ultimately victims of medical malpractice,” the explainer added. “For some doctors who fear malpractice lawsuits, abortion is just a lazy ‘solution’ to a complicated pregnancy.”
Referencing the pro-life directory of OB-GYNs and other medical professionals, the explainer added that there are “many doctors who specialize in [cases of ectopic pregnancy] and can be sought for second opinions.”
“With the help of their doctors, women facing life-threatening situations should be enabled to make well-informed decisions about their health and the life of their babies without being misled by fearmongering pro-abortion advocates and organizations,” the explainer concluded.
