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Dakotans for Health
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Real men fight for freedom, right?
October 30, 2024
Sioux Falls, SD...Rev. Ryan Otto, chair of Men for Freedom Amendment G, today argued, “Real men fight for freedom, right? Now is the time to fight for women’s freedoms and support reproductive rights.” Speaking out against South Dakota's extreme abortion ban, Otto emphasized the urgency for men to get involved in the fight for Amendment G, which seeks to restore the protections established by the landmark 1973 decision, Roe v. Wade.
“I am in this fight not only for my wife and daughters, but because this affects all of us, said Otto. “The current law impacts not just women and girls, or just dads with daughters. The fight is all of ours.” “We now need to restore the rights that safeguarded women for 50 years but have now been lost. The loss of these rights is partly on us men, and we will fight tirelessly to reclaim them. My daughters, aged 12 and 9, deserve better — and so do yours.”
Co-chair Will Bushee, a father of a 21-year-old daughter, who provided security for Amendment G petition circulators, echoed these sentiments, stating, "Real men have the courage to stand alongside women in this battle. It is weak to remain silent while laws are enacted that prevent your daughter from accessing care in the aftermath of violence. In South Dakota, if you help your daughter get medical care after a violent assault, you could face jail time. If you can't stand against that, perhaps it's you who needs to reconsider what it means to be a man."
Both Otto and Bushee highlighted the importance of standing up against oppressive laws. "If you can't speak out against a system that threatens imprisonment for helping your daughter after a rape, what kind of man are you?" they stated.
“Be a man, put your excuses aside, and show up for the women in your life. They need your support to ensure decisions about their bodies remain theirs, and not some state legislator’s,” they stated.
Men for Freedom Amendment G has joined Nancy Turbak's Freedom Amendment G coalition as the seventh group to support the initiative. "Every man who signed the petition, all 26,984 of them, is committed to the fight for Yes on G," said Turbak. "This movement is about protecting the freedom of women and girls from government overreach. Ryan, Will, and the thousands of men who have joined us believe this fight is essential, and we will not back down.”.
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About Dakotans for Health:
Dakotans for Health is a grassroots organization focused on healthcare and protecting the democratic process. The organization was instrumental in the successful 2022 campaign to expand Medicaid coverage to 52,000 low-income South Dakotans. Dakotans for Health will continue its efforts to ensure our neighbors have access to the care they need, no matter who they are, what they look like, or how much money they have.
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