South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds (R) said that if a bill banning abortion in the state was introduced in the next session of the legislature, he would sign the measure into law. The Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports that it is likely South Dakota legislators will introduce such a bill in 2005. A similar bill passed both the state House and Senate in 2004, but Gov. Rounds issued a “style-and-form” veto, in which he suggested changes to the bill that, if passed by the legislature, would allow it to become law, according to the Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report. The state Senate by one vote rejected Rounds’ changes, and the bill failed.
This year, Rounds has said he would feel “morally obligated” to sign such a bill, according to the Associated Press. “I’d like to see Roe v. Wade repealed,” Gov. Rounds said, the Argus Leader reports. “I’d like to get legislation in place that could successfully challenge Roe v. Wade…”
