South Dakota House Approves Abortion Ban Bill

Fox News just reported this.

PIERRE, S.D. — The state House of Representatives has given final legislative approval to a bill that would ban nearly all abortions in South Dakota.
The measure now goes to Republican Gov. Mike Rounds, who said he is inclined to sign the bill if it has no technical defects.
The measure is intended to prompt a legal fight on the legality of abortion. It would become law July 1 if Rounds signs it.
The bill already had passed both houses of the Legislature, but the House had to agree to a Senate amendment before it could go to the governor. It passed 50-18.
"I've indicated I'm pro-life and I do believe abortion is wrong, and that we should do everything we can to save lives," Rounds said. "If this bill accomplishes that, then I am inclined to sign the bill into law."
Rounds noted that he issued a technical veto of a similar measure two years ago because it would have wiped out all existing restrictions on abortion while the bill was tied up for years in a court challenge. The Legislature failed to make the wording changes Rounds sought.
Under the new bill, doctors in South Dakota would face up to five years in prison for performing an abortion. The only exception would be for women who need abortions to save their lives.
The legislation directly targets Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the nation. Lawmakers believe the nation's highest court is more likely to reverse itself on the abortion issue since the recent appointment of Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito.
Planned Parenthood, which operates a Sioux Falls clinic that is the only facility to perform abortions in South Dakota, has pledged to file a lawsuit challenging the measure, which would become law July 1. The clinic does about 800 abortions a year.
Rounds noted that a court challenge likely would not be settled for two or three years, and only the nation's highest court could overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling. He said he does not know if the Supreme Court would even agree to hear the case.
The governor said he believes it would be better to eliminate abortion in a series of steps, but some abortion opponents want a court challenge that could wipe out abortion in one fell swoop.
"Personally, I believe we will save more lives by continuing to chip away at Roe v. Wade one step at a time," he said.
"Long-term, I think this court is probably more amenable to restricting the impact of Roe v. Wade on a case-by-case basis and an exception-by-exception basis," Rounds said. "But in the meantime, this may satisfy a lot of individuals out there who would like to see if there is one slim chance the court may entertain three years from now a direct assault on Roe v. Wade."
During debate on the measure, lawmakers were told an anonymous donor has pledged to give the state $1 million to defend the abortion ban in court. The Legislature is setting up a special account to accept donations from the public because other people want to contribute to the legal fight.
"I can tell you first-had we've had people stopping in our office trying to drop off checks to promote the defense of this legislation already," Rounds said.

Update:
I wanted to get this posted so the news could get out. Anyway, on to my comments...
This is remarkable. For a state to feel so strongly aboyt this to put themselves in this positon is remarkable. My hat is off to them. We need to pray that they have the success and get the results they are trying for.