US State Passes Bill Banning Most Abortions

The US state of South Dakota has approved a bill to ban most abortions in a move designed to put pressure on the supreme court to overturn its key ruling on the issue.

The measure will make it an offence for doctors to perform any abortion except to save the life of a pregnant woman, according to the Washington Post.

The proposal was passed by the South Dakota legislature this week but has still to be signed by the Republican governor, Mike Rounds, who is known to be against abortion.

Exceptions would not be made for pregnancies as a result of rape or an incestuous relationship and doctors who broke the law could face up to five years in prison.

The bill was designed to challenge the Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v Wade in 1973, which recognized the right of women to terminate pregnancies.

Supporters of the bill want to force a re-examination of the ruling by the court. Campaigners believe new appointments may have tipped the balance of the court in favor of anti-abortionists.

Recent appointments by President Bush include those of the conservatives Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. Mr. Alito is thought to be more likely to rule against abortion than his predecessor Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Abortion rights organizations said the vote in South Dakota had set the stage for a new fight to keep abortion legal in the US.

The anti-abortion lobby has focused in recent years on persuading individual states to restrict access to abortion, including pushing for laws requiring parents to be notified and waiting periods before the procedure can be performed.

The Washington Post said South Dakota was already one of the most difficult states in the country to get an abortion. Five laws restricting abortion were passed last year after a bill to ban it outright failed by one vote the previous year.