John Thune is voting for Referred Law 6

In a previous post I compared John Thune and Sam Brownback’s on the life issue. I have been notified that there was a report done in the Rapid City Journal that quotes John Thune. The link now refers to another report, but I got a cached version to work. I post it here in case the cached version goes away:

Despite his belief that any ban on abortion should include exceptions for rape and incest victims, U.S. Sen. John Thune said Friday that, when he steps into the voting booth in November, he will vote in favor of a referred law that does not contain those exceptions.

Earlier this week, the South Dakota Republican restated his position that any abortion ban should include exceptions to save the life of a pregnant woman and to allow victims of rape and incest to have an abortion.

Referred Law 6, which was approved overwhelmingly by the South Dakota Legislature and signed by Gov. Mike Rounds before being referred to a general-election vote in November, offers only an exception to save a pregnant woman’s life.

Even so, Thune said he will cast his vote for Referred Law 6 — best known as HB1215, the title it was given during the 2006 Legislature. Thune said the ban is in keeping with his anti-abortion philosophy and voting record.

"Although the Legislature took a different approach, I will vote for it because it would reduce the number of abortions and advance our common goal of protecting the unborn," Thune said.

The respective positions of the state’s three-member congressional delegation became a point of discussion earlier this week when Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson entered the campaign against Referred Law 6. Johnson taped a telephone message for the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families, the lead group opposing the referred law, urging South Dakotans to vote against it. And a spokesman for Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth, who also opposes the ban, said Herseth is willing to tape a similar message.

Jan Nicolay of Chester, co-chair of the Campaign for Healthy Families, said Friday that it is unfortunate that Thune still supports the ban, even though it doesn’t include exceptions he said he supports.

"Does he feel that children and women should be victimized twice?" she said. "Because that’s what this law does with no exceptions for rape and incest victims. I’m disappointed."

Abortion-ban supporter Leslee Unruh of Sioux Falls, campaign manager for the VoteYesforLife.com coalition, said she was gratified that Thune had pledged his vote to the measure. She said she wasn’t surprised to hear how Thune would vote.

"I have talked to people in his office, and I was assured that John Thune would be voting for it," Unruh said. "And that made us extremely happy."

Unruh said she would try to discuss the rape-and-incest issue with the senator.

"John Thune, like other South Dakotans, needs an education that there is a provision for the victims of rape and incest," Unruh said.

Referred Law 6 would not change the existing right of women — including rape and incest victims — to seek emergency contraception during the first few days after unprotected intercourse. But it would not allow those women to get an abortion, unless the procedure was needed to save their lives.

Even so, Thune said the ban is worth his vote.

"As a member of Congress, I have a 100 percent pro-life voting record," Thune said. "I have consistently supported a ban on abortion with the exceptions of rape, incest and when the mother’s life is in danger. I will continue to fight in Congress for the unborn and to promote a culture of life."

But that doesn’t mean Thune will fight for Referred Law 6 in the campaign.

"It’s not his practice to get involved in state-ballot issues," Thune spokesman Kyle Downey said.