“When Governor Mike Rounds signed HB 1215 into law it effectively banned all abortions in the state with the exception that it did allow saving the mother’s life. There were, however, no exceptions for victims of rape or incest. His actions, and the comments of State Senators like Bill Napoli of Rapid City, SD, set of a maelstrom of protests within the state.
Napoli suggested that if it was a case of “simple rape,” there should be no thoughts of ending a pregnancy. Letters by the hundreds appeared in local newspapers, mostly written by women, challenging Napoli’s description of rape as “simple.” He has yet to explain satisfactorily what he meant by “simple rape.”
I just can’t put it more clearly than the following statement by one of my rural sisters. Shame on you Bill Napoli!
“As a rape victim at the age of 16 I am highly incensed by the term ’simple’ rape. No woman that has ever gone through that escapes without not only physical scars but also emotional ones that last years….perhaps forever. And we all know rape is not about sex but power which brings us yet again to the the patriarchy that continues to dominate in our culture.”