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S.D. group: Let voters decide on abortion

SIOUX FALLS, S.D., March 24 (UPI) -- Activists in South Dakota who oppose the state's ban on abortion launched a petition drive Friday to get the issue on the ballot.

The South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families said the Legislature went too far when it passed a bill that bans almost all abortions -- including those in which women become pregnant as a result of rape or incest. The group must collect 16,728 signatures by June 19, KELO-TV reported.

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The abortion ban is a direct challenge to Roe vs. Wade, the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. It declares that life begins at conception and allows pregnancies to be terminated only when they endanger a woman's life.

"I think this is a crucial issue for the people of South Dakota," said campaign co-chair Jan Nicolay -- a former South Dakota Republican Party official. "They have their right to express themselves on it. The legislative body has over-stepped its boundaries."

Nicolay said the campaign includes people who generally oppose abortion but believe women should have the option in certain circumstances.

If the petition drive fails or voters support the law, a court challenge is still likely, the newspaper said.

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