Aborting Young Women's Rights

Abortion ban rallies young South Dakota pro-choice activists

By Emily Olfson

South Dakota passed the nation's strictest ban on abortion last month. The state has one abortion clinic, which conducts 800 procedures a year. Native American leaders are talking about building a tribal clinic that would operate outside the reach of the law since reservations are considered sovereign entities. Children's PressLine editor Emily Olfson spoke with pro-choice teens about the effect of the ban.

Sarah Prentice-Mott, 17

Rapid City, S.D.

In Rapid City, they don't really talk about sex. We didn't actually get any sex ed. in high school, and we had one class in middle school. Right now, the main focus of sex education is that abstinence is good. But that doesn't work. My belief is if school systems start teaching condom [use], your chances of getting pregnant are reduced. It's extremely important to provide all the options to people, not just abstinence education. I've heard a lot of outrage about [the abortion ban]. A lot of teachers aren't really willing to talk about it. They can lose their jobs, with the way the school system is set up here.

It's just another example of how South Dakota's not willing to move with the times. It's so incredibly conservative that it's kind of hard to live here. I'm leaving the state in three months, and I'm not planning on living here after college.

My belief is that part of the reason that this bill was put into law is so it can go to the Supreme Court, with judges who will overturn Roe v. Wade. There's no exception in the bill for rape or incest, and it grants rapists parental rights, which is appalling. They can't tell some girl in South Dakota who they've never met what to do with her life.

Abortion affects people who are younger. I mean, you don't hear stories about 40 year-olds getting abortions, but stories about 15- and 16-year-olds? There's a lot of those. A lot of teenagers are really ignorant about the issue. Especially in the town I live in, they're very sheltered about this issue. There's always girls who didn't quite get sex education, didn't use the right protection, and end up pregnant when they're a junior in high school.

My advice is to never stop talking about it. Even if there's no support, chances are there's someone out there who agrees but isn't willing to speak out. If people keep their mouths shut about what's important to them, eventually their rights are taken away and they're left helpless.

Alice Lubeck, 14

Sioux Falls, S.D.

Most of my friends are pro-life. It makes me feel a little alone that there aren't a lot of people who share my views. In language arts one day, we talked about it, and most of the kids were saying, "Yay, it's gonna be passed!" or "That'd be really awesome if it gets passed." This was before Gov. Rounds signed it. It made me feel like I was in room with a bunch of people who are a lot different than me.

If something happens, like rape, then it could directly affect me. And I'm sure along the way, I'll probably have a friend, or know someone who is put in that situation, and have to keep the baby when she didn't want to. Having a 13-year-old who got raped go through a pregnancy and trying to live with it, and then having to give birth when they're only 13, it could really hurt that child.

Abortion decision is not an easy one for young women

By David Simpkins

This year, the Supreme Court will decide whether Congress' ban on late-term abortions is legal. In light of the recent bill in South Dakota (see sidebar) and two new Supreme Court justices, this could be a pivotal year for the abortion debate. Children's PressLine editor David Simpkins interviewed two young women who would have considered themselves pro-life until they found themselves with unplanned pregnancies when they were young and financially unstable.