American Indian Women in South Dakota Stand Up for All

This past March 6, the South Dakota legislature passed a bill that outlaws abortion even in cases of rape and incest. The South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families, a pro-choice coalition, is currently organizing to collect 16,728 signatures in that state to place the measure on the November ballot. Sarah Stoesz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota said the organization has no plans to close the clinics it operates in Rapid City and Sioux Falls. Only the Sioux Falls clinic performs abortions.

Soon after the vote Cecilia Fire Thunder (seen above), the Oglala Sioux Tribe president, made the announcement that Planned Parenthood would have permission to set-up an abortion clinic on Indian territory. While Stoesz responded that Planned Parenthood has no plans in opening another clinic, Fire Thunder responds by sating that the tribe is considering opening a tribal-run facility. Even though there are debates whether that would be permissible, three topics have come to the floor: the lack of access to abortion for most women in the U.S., the effect this will have on American Indian women and the fact that American Indian reservations are not absolute sovereign land.

''I have very strong opinions of what happened. These are a bunch of white guys determining what a woman should do with her body,'' proclaimed Fire Thunder. Fire Thunder was a nurse and has worked with women who were traumatized by rape. She then continues, ''when a woman is raped and becomes pregnant she does not have the choice of aborting. How many men at the state house have ever been raped?''

American Indian women are impacted the most from sexual assults. According to national statistics, American Indian women are sexually assaulted at a rate 3.5 times higher than all other racial groups. That means there are seven rapes per 1,000 American Indian women. With 87 percent of U.S. counties lacking access to abortion clinics, the majority of women have to pay additional costs in travel and hotel stays to receive an abortion. This makes it difficult for poor women and teens to seek the services of an abortion clinic, which may increase the probability of self-induced abortions.

''It is very important that we have access to safe, legal pregnancy termination services, whether it is emergency contraceptives right after the assault or an abortion service,'' insists Charon Asetoyer, director of the Native American Women's Health Education Resource Center located on the Yankton Sioux Reservation.

American Indian women who live in the western part of South Dakota must either travel the few hundred miles to Sioux Falls or to Nebraska, which in both cases becomes expensive.

''This will force women out of the state and would cost more money and more time and a lot of women may not realize they have that option. It increases the trauma for those who have been sexually assaulted,'' Asetoyer said.

''It's this big myth that Native American women don't terminate pregnancies; they have always terminated pregnancies, do now and will in the future,'' she said. Asetoyer finished by saying it is the woman's personal business and that it is not to be scrutinized in the political arena.

''The Creator gave every human being [the right] to make choices for yourself. Another person may not think that is the right choice and a lot of people have made bad choices in their lives, but it's their choice,'' Fire Thunder said.

''We have to honor the gift the Creator gave us; one of the greatest gifts is to choose for ourselves.''

For further information to participate in the petitioning campaign in South Dakota visit:
www.prochoiceamerica.org