As our elected officers as soon as once more collect within the state capitol for the 40-day hamster wheel often known as the legislative session, they are going to be confronted with numerous choices and votes that decide the course of the state, all achieved in the perfect pursuits of all of us who voted to ship them there.
Or, as I get it that’s the basic concept, proper?
I want that was the vibe I bought, however actually, you understand…I don’t.
Nope, nothing about marijuana right here. I voted for each medicinal and leisure — for each progressive and conservative causes.
Progressive as a result of I do know of people that would profit from the aid provided with medicinal marijuana; conservative as a result of if marijuana is legalized it may be regulated and, extra importantly, taxed.
In the case of marijuana, our duly elected officers will both get all of the dominoes lined as much as their satisfaction, or, as historical past has proven, they may maintain sending it again to us to essentially guarantee that that is what we would like.
That’s just about my focus this flip.
Governor Kristi Noem mentioned in her State of the State handle that one of many issues on which she’s going to focus is making unlawful any abortion that takes place after six weeks.
If it appears that evidently laws on abortion comes round fairly commonly, effectively, it’s as a result of it just about does. Or has for a number of years.
A little bit of historical past, which you will or could not recall.
The U.S. Supreme Courtroom dominated on Jan. 22, 1973, 49 years in the past in the present day really, that abortions had been authorized. A short while after that, I’m certain, the hassle to criminalize it started. I don’t know. I used to be 10 then.
The powers that be in Pierre probably started the battle to brief circuit the process as effectively. (See Hunt, Roger)
After some failures within the Home and/or Senate, the legislature handed a legislation that might outlaw abortions, HB1215 in 2006. Signatures had been gathered after its passage, nevertheless, and the handed legislation was referred to the voters (Referred Regulation 6 if you wish to look it up on the Secretary of State’s web site) which was voted down that fall by the residents of South Dakota 185,945 (55.57%) to 148,648 (44.43%).
Bear in mind these percentages, they may come again in just a bit bit.
A aspect word, medical marijuana was voted down on that very same poll.
Two years later, in 2008, the legislature was taken out of the equation, as Initiated Measure 11 was on the poll, which might have made abortion unlawful besides within the case of well being of the mom, rape or incest. That concern was additionally voted down, 206,535 (55.21%) to 167,560 (44.79 %).
See I informed you. It was two years later and almost 40,000 extra individuals solid ballots, however the percentages had been just about similar.
“However that was greater than 12 years in the past, Curt,” chances are you’ll say. “Folks’s opinions change.”
Do they? Properly, probably not.
Gallup does a ballot every year, asking questions on abortion, with three solutions: Authorized below any circumstances; Authorized below solely sure circumstances; Unlawful in all circumstances. Oh, there’s additionally a ‘No Opinion’ choice too.
They started the ballot in 1975 and since then, the ballot numbers have fluctuated…..actually not a lot in any respect.
Authorized below any circumstances was 33% in 1975 and 32% final yr, with a low of 21% in 2009. Authorized below sure circumstances, low of 48% (in 1992 and final yr) with a excessive of 61% in 1997. Unlawful in any circumstances ran from 12 to 22 p.c.
My level is that the opinions have probably not skewed wildly towards outlawing abortions…besides in state legislatures, the place the process has been slowly eroded since voters opted towards making it unlawful, at the least right here, in 2008. The individuals doing the electing nonetheless ballot just about the identical, nevertheless.
Over time, abortion charges have fallen, however that drop has been attributed to not stricter legal guidelines or harsher enforcement however as a substitute is credited to….training.
It’s inconceivable to legislate banning intercourse that will end in being pregnant – jeez dad and mom have been sounding that bell for many years.
However there may be the potential of persevering with to teach extra youth on the doable finish recreation situations.
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Transgender athletes are once more in Governor Noem’s crosshairs this yr, after laws was handed, then finally vetoed final yr.
The necessity for limiting participation of transgender athletes has not modified – it’s nonetheless a authorities resolution looking for an issue – however, in accordance with a press launch from the Gov’s workplace, this time round, the laws is written in order that whether it is challenged in court docket, it’s defendable.
Not that we want it extra thoughts you – that we are able to now defend it.
The laws is directed towards trans athletes competing in feminine sports activities. However once more, I’ll level out that on the 2018 Cheer and Dance state meet, a AA faculty had a younger man on its roster, and judging from the photographs, he was fairly darn good. In line with the S.D. Excessive Faculty Actions Affiliation, the younger man’s dad and mom needed to threaten to sue to permit him to compete. The SDHSAA has since drafted its personal set of laws to take care of the non-existent drawback, in hopes of heading off laws from state authorities.
Nope, sorry.
That being mentioned, if one seems to be on the sideline of any main faculty basketball or soccer recreation, there are cheerleaders – female and male – who’re probably below some kind of scholarship. Might or not it’s that neglecting to permit a highschool boy from being on the cheer and/or dance staff is limiting his scholarship alternatives? Properly….yeah, it in all probability is.
And does it reduce each methods?
Jenna VanHolland, a junior from Garretson Excessive Faculty, who has performed soccer since she was younger, stepped in to the place kicker function for the Blue Dragons this previous fall. VanHolland performed effectively sufficient to earn All-State recognition in Class 9A as a Particular Groups participant, clearly the primary woman and doubtless the final – to ever accomplish that.
Would the brand new legislation take that chance away from Miss VanHolland, who, as a profitable junior kicker this yr, would presumably have the within observe to a return engagement subsequent fall?
Legislators solely have 40 days. Why proceed to toil on these points?
Yeah, I bought nothing for you right here.
