HB1220 provides that that a female who undergoes an unlawful abortion may not be held criminally liable.
The House passed HB1220 on February 21, 2023, by a vote of 63 to 7. We have assigned pluses to the nays because justice is the overall purpose and greatest responsibility of civil government. The state has a dual role of providing equal justice under the law by both protecting the unalienable right to life for each person and punishing any person who deprives it. South Dakota has a duty to secure this most sacred and fundamental right, as guaranteed by the 5th and 14th Amendments of U.S. Constitution.