Freedom Folks: South Dakota Passes Abortion Ban

South Dakota became the first U.S. state to pass a law banning abortion in virtually all cases, with the intention of forcing the Supreme Court to reconsider its 1973 decision legalizing the procedure.

Read it all here.

Where can I get an "I HEART SOUTH DAKOTA" t-shirt?

State legislatures in Ohio, Indiana, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky also have introduced similar measures this year, but South Dakota's legislative calendar means its law is likely to be enacted first.

This could put South Dakota right up there with my other favorite "first" state, Wyoming, which was the first to give women the right to vote. Of course, I'm sure there are those who would sneer at this and tell me that banning abortion is a step back for women's rights. I beg to differ.

It's a step forward for human rights.

Some legislators opposed to abortion rights questioned whether it was premature to challenge Roe v. Wade, and said litigation would prove expensive for the sparsely populated state. An anonymous donor has offered $1 million to the state to defray the costs of litigation.