South Dakota: Just Like Mississippi but Up North

Posted by Greg Laden on February 15, 2011
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South Dakota would make the killing of abortion providers legal.

A law under consideration in South Dakota would expand the definition of “justifiable homicide” to include killings that are intended to prevent harm to a fetus–a move that could make it legal to kill doctors who perform abortions. The Republican-backed legislation, House Bill 1171, has passed out of committee on a nine-to-three party-line vote, and is expected to face a floor vote in the state’s GOP-dominated House of Representatives soon.
“The bill in South Dakota is an invitation to murder abortion providers.”

The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Phil Jensen, a committed foe of abortion rights, alters the state’s legal definition of justifiable homicide by adding language stating that a homicide is permissible if committed by a person “while resisting an attempt to harm” that person’s unborn child or the unborn child of that person’s spouse, partner, parent, or child. If the bill passes, it could in theory allow a woman’s father, mother, son, daughter, or husband to kill anyone who tried to provide that woman an abortion–even if she wanted one.

Fucking Christians. Read more. If you are a Christian and you don’t believe that abortion providers should be shot dead legally in South Dakota then say something about it, please. Your silence is exactly the same as your guilt.

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Comments

  1. #1 NewEnglandBob
    February 15, 2011

    As usual, Republicans show they have no ethics, no morals and no understanding of life whatsoever. They are just Fascists in disguise.

  2. #2 Larry Lipit0r
    February 15, 2011

    If they did that, it might be the last straw for a lot of doctors working in that state. They just might pack up and head out to a more hospitable place. We all know that abortions are a matter between a woman and her doctor. Those maroons in SD need to learn that somehow.

  3. #3 itzac
    February 15, 2011

    Does this law not also make it justifiable to kill someone you believe is planning to kill an abortion doctor?

  4. #4 JakeLsewhere
    February 15, 2011

    itzac that’s getting into justifiably homicidal turtles all the way down territory. An interesting question.

  5. #5 Sondrah
    February 15, 2011

    You asked for a Christian viewpoint and I’m appalled.

  6. #6 itzac
    February 15, 2011

    It occurred to me after I posted that you probably can’t justifiably kill someone engaged in a legally justifiable act. Still, wouldn’t a doctor under threat while performing a legal procedure be justified in defending himself?

  7. #7 Brad Feaker
    February 15, 2011

    @Larry Lipitor re #2

    SD already has to fly an abortion doctor in once a week to the only clinic in the state. There are no providers that live there already. These people in the state legislature are certifiable.

  8. #8 Greg Laden
    February 15, 2011

    Brad: Exactly, and the plan is to kill that one doctor.

  9. #9 Greg Laden
    February 15, 2011

    Confederate soldier, I can’t help it if you live in a stupid state.

    But in your case it may be more complicated, because your IP address places you within a few hours drive of me. Just another racist, lying Confederate Soldier.

  10. #10 peter
    February 15, 2011

    “Then again, the infanticide provider never does get”

    That is all you need about the idiot and his post.
    Since when is a foetus an infant?
    I guess he is just sore that his state doesn’t pass a similar law.
    My qquestion: are the idiots in the US all concentrated in one state?

    We have Alberta for that…

  11. #11 Achrachno
    February 16, 2011

    Sond: You asked for a Christian viewpoint and I’m appalled.

    I too am appalled that someone would ask for a Christian viewpoint. I think we’d had more than enough of those.

  12. #12 Mike Haubrich
    February 16, 2011

    Murder is okay to protect life. I get it.

    Do these people even think?

  13. #13 Mike Haubrich
    February 16, 2011

    Oh, and this is just more proof that religion poisons everything.

  14. #14 MacTurk
    February 16, 2011

    And they accuse Islam of being a death cult?

    They look in the mirror and see a wannabe Talib.

    As for Confederate soldier, he is a bigoted and fact -free idiot.

  15. #15 rob
    February 16, 2011

    “Homicide is justifiable if committed by any person in the lawful defense of such person, or of his or her husband, wife, parent, child, master, MISTRESS, or servant…”

    glad to know those South Dakota republicans are thinking of their mistresses!

  16. #16 Calli Arcale
    February 16, 2011

    I’m a Christian. I also disagree vehemently that just because someone isn’t heard decrying something that they tacitly agree with it. That’s like saying that Muslims all condone terrorism if you haven’t happened to have heard them, personally, speaking out against it. Or, as Jon Oliver put it on the Daily Show, “every religion has to be responsible for its biggest assholes.”

    I am against this. Duh. I always have been, always would be; it’s a no-brainer. Plus, I’m pro-choice. A large percentage of Christians actually are. (That would have to be the case for abortion to be defended in countries which are predominantly Christian, and no the US is not the only predominantly Christian country where abortion is legal. Not every nation is Ireland, after all.) And I did not defend this before I responded to this post, even though from your perspective i was “silent” by virtue of not having read your post yet. I can only hope that this measure is soundly defeated, but given the way things have been going in SD lately (I have family there, and so when I drive out I have to look at all the pro-life billboards* that have sprouted since the last visit), I have my doubts.

    * The multiplication of pro-life billboards is increasingly disturbing when I go to South Dakota, and the latest trend has been pictures of happy kids with Grandpa, usually happy and frolicking, because they’re not content to attack abortion now. They have to start going after the end of life as well. And that was *before* all the fuss about “death panels”, so it’s something that had been building even before Obama ran for office, much less proposed any health care reform.

  17. #17 Calli Arcale
    February 16, 2011

    Oh, and by the way, I have to also object to the comparison to Mississippi. Mississippi has not (as far as I know) attempted to make defense of the unborn a defense against a murder charge. (Mostly because in the legitimate cases, e.g. an ex-boyfriend assaulting a pregnant woman, “threat to the mother” is perfectly adequate defense already.) So SD is attempting to sink below Mississippi.

  18. #18 Rob
    February 16, 2011

    As someone who is also from Mississippi, from Jackson btw, Confederate soldier is full of shit. That being said, I think the crap he’s spouting would only go to prove Laden’s point about Mississippi.

  19. #19 Greg Laden
    February 16, 2011

    Rob, this also covers people who slaves killing people who are trying to harm their owners.