An anti-abortion rights group, Life Defense Fund, has filed a lawsuit against the backers of a constitutional amendment designed to protect abortion rights in South Dakota.
The lawsuit alleges that the Dakotans For Health petition drive violated state laws, including petition circulator residency requirements and the failure to provide signers with a circulator handout.
Life Defense Fund aims to discredit 148 additional signatures from the random sample used to qualify the amendment for the November ballot. If successful, this would result in 257 invalid signatures, potentially invalidating the petition.
The group also accuses petition circulators of using deceptive tactics, such as misleading potential signers by asking if they supported banning the sales tax on groceries and then presenting the abortion petition for signature. Additionally, Life Defense Fund seeks to prohibit Dakotans For Health and its associates from participating in any ballot question committees for the next four years.
Constitutional Amendment G would prevent the state from banning abortion during the first two trimesters, while allowing exceptions for the life and health of the mother in the third trimester.
Dakotans For Health officials see the lawsuit as a desperate attempt to undermine the democratic process and disenfranchise over 50,000 voters who signed the petition to restore reproductive rights.