"Medical Emergency" Exceptions Put Lives at Risk

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The message:

When urgent care is delayed in obstetrics, hemorrhage worsens. Infection spreads. Organs fail. No patient should have to wait for their provider to parse through legalese during a medical emergency.

This is not health care. This is putting people's lives at risk in service of a political agenda. And that's why House Bill 1257, legislation that claims to clarify the "medical emergency" exception to South Dakota's near-total abortion ban, is so dangerous and must be stopped.

Deeply private, personal and unique decisions about abortion should not be made by politicians but be made by pregnant people in consultation with their doctors – who should be able to treat their patients according to their best medical judgement. Inserting unclear and non-medical terminology into law will cause uncertainty for providers and will inevitably cause delays in care.

Abortion shouldn't be a political issue. It's a health care issue that has been deeply politicized to the detriment of so many people across South Dakota.

The call to clarify the exceptions to South Dakota's extreme abortion ban just proves that one-size-fits-all laws don't work. In order for our laws to address all the possible circumstances that someone who is pregnant might face, we need to repeal the total abortion ban and make access to medical care the rule, not the exception.

Will you send a message to your legislators asking them to oppose House Bill 1257?

The recipients:

Senate State Affairs Committee

The message:

When urgent care is delayed in obstetrics, hemorrhage worsens. Infection spreads. Organs fail. No patient should have to wait for their provider to parse through legalese during a medical emergency.

Abortion shouldn't be a political issue. It's a health care issue that has been deeply politicized to the detriment of so many people across South Dakota.

Will you send a message to your legislators asking them to oppose House Bill 1257?

The recipients:

Senate State Affairs Committee

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Your Message

Subject Vote No on HB 1257

"Medical emergency" exceptions to abortion laws are often narrow, vague, and insufficient to protect pregnant people in life-threatening situations. House Bill 1257 is no different.

Message Body

This is not health care. This is putting people's lives at risk in service of a political agenda. Please vote no on House Bill 1257.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]

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"Medical Emergency" Exceptions Put Lives at Risk

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