A bill banning sex-selective abortions is on its way to the Senate floor. House Bill 1162 makes it illegal for a doctor to perform an abortion based on the gender of the baby. Violation is a class six felony. Opponents of the measure say the bill is flawed. They say it has a racial bias, and they are concerned that the only way to enforce the legislation is by violating HIPPA laws. But proponents like Senator Jean Hunhoff say the bill is important in a world where technology causes benefits as well as problems.
“To me it’s more creating that this is an environment where in South Dakota we recognize what technology can do, we recognize the sanctity of life, and we want in our laws that we want to protect that,” Hunhoff says. “And we want to make sure that those thoughts, you know, if it’s in law, and I agree certainly HIPPA with the patient protection information, what’s going to happen? But I think it’s the message that we’re sending is this is not acceptable. All life is sacred.”
Members of the Senate Health and Human services Committee passed the measure by a vote of five to two.