By Michael Pauley
On Nov. 5, 2024, voters will be asked to decide Amendment G, a dangerous and deceptive measure that would insert a “right to abortion” in the South Dakota Constitution.
It’s difficult to overstate how damaging this amendment would be for preborn children and their mothers. Amendment G would allow abortions through all nine months of pregnancy, for any reason. It would endanger the health of women by eliminating all health and safety standards for abortions in the first trimester, such as a requirement that an abortion be performed by a physician. It even throws out common-sense laws that are designed to protect women and girls from being coerced into abortions they do not want.
For Catholics, Amendment G is not a close call. The Second Vatican Council solemnly declared, “… from the moment of its conception, life must be guarded with the greatest care, while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes” (Gaudium et Spes, 51).
Pope St. John Paul II understood well the cultural crisis that has caused so many people, even some who profess to be Christian, to be morally blind to the evil of abortion:
“The acceptance of abortion in the popular mind … is a telling sign of an extremely dangerous crisis of the moral sense, which is becoming more and more incapable of distinguishing between good and evil, even when the fundamental right to life is at stake. Given such a grave situation, we need now more than ever to have the courage to look the truth in the eye and to call things by their proper name, without yielding to convenient compromises or to the temptation of self-deception. In this regard the reproach of the Prophet is extremely straightforward: ‘Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness’ (Is 5:20).” (Evangelium Vitae, 58)
These words provide a roadmap for how Catholics should operate between now and Election Day. Whenever we’re talking about Amendment G, we must “look truth in the eye and call things by their proper name.”
Abortion is rarely called by its proper name. Some call it “health care” or “reproductive rights.” But this is what the prophet Isaiah warned us about—we call evil things good, and good things evil. Abortion is an act of violence that kills a human being and wounds another. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), in describing the gravity of the crime of abortion, refers to “the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death” (CCC 2272).
The clarity with which the Church teaches on abortion stands in sharp contrast to the messages of those who are promoting Amendment G. Their rallying cry is not “Let’s pass Amendment G so we can have unlimited abortion, for any reason, throughout pregnancy.” Instead, they call Amendment G the “South Dakota Freedom Amendment.” They avoid speaking about the true nature of this “freedom,” because the freedom they demand is the freedom to kill. Pope Francis has written forcefully about this lethal distortion of the concept of freedom:
“Abortion is a grave injustice. It can never be a legitimate expression of autonomy and power. If our autonomy demands the death of another, it is none other than an iron cage.” (Let us Dream, p. 115)
How should Catholics respond to the threat of the abortion amendment? Obviously, we should vote “no” on Election Day. But merely casting a “no” vote isn’t enough. We need to be actively engaged in the campaign to defeat Amendment G, using whatever gifts God has given us. For some, that might mean volunteering for the campaign against Amendment G. For others, it could mean a financial donation. Perhaps you can pass out educational flyers on Amendment G to your friends, family members and co-workers. You can pray for your fellow voters, that their minds would be opened, and their hearts softened, to see the profound worth of preborn children. Reflect on the gifts God has given you and how you can use them to defend the precious children he has created.
Stay informed about the abortion amendment campaign by signing up for alerts from the South Dakota Catholic Conference. Visit us online: sdcatholicconference.org. You can also learn how to help defeat Amendment G by visiting LifeDefenseFund.com.
Finally, we must help others see through the false arguments of abortion proponents. For example, an official with the pro-abortion ACLU of South Dakota was quoted in a news story earlier this year claiming that, because of South Dakota’s pro-life laws, “Patients are denied miscarriage care until they’re on the brink of death.” Abortion proponents also claim that pro-life laws prevent women from receiving treatment for ectopic pregnancies. These claims are nonsense. In testimony presented before a congressional committee two years ago, obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Christina Francis offered a strong critique of this disinformation:
“False claims abound that state abortion restrictions will prevent physicians from being able to treat ectopic pregnancies, miscarriage, and other life-threatening complications in pregnancy (such as intrauterine infection). This is blatantly absurd, as not a single state law restricting abortion prevents treating these conditions.”
We must always point out that there are life-affirming alternatives to abortion. South Dakota has zero abortion clinics, but we have 10 nonprofit pregnancy resource centers that help women with challenging pregnancies, including counseling, health care, material resources, parenting classes and more. In most cases, these services are provided to women free of charge.
South Dakota has made great strides during the last few decades in creating both public policies and cultural initiatives to protect preborn children and their mothers from the harms of abortion. Amendment G would reverse this progress and move our state in a dark and heartless direction.
As we consider our response to Amendment G, we should reflect on these sobering words from the Book of Proverbs:
“Did you fail to rescue those who were being dragged off to death…because you said, ‘We didn’t know about it’? Surely, the Searcher of hearts knows and will repay all according to their deeds.” (Prv 24:11-12)
Catholics must call Amendment G by its proper name: evil. In this critical moment for our state, may we have the courage to stand up and defend those at risk of death. The killing of innocents has no place in South Dakota.
