FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Press Office
Dakotans for Health
605-610-8146
Mothers and Daughters for Freedom Amendment G Formed
October 21, 2024
Watertown, SD...At a virtual news conference Monday, Nancy Turbak Berry, Chair of the Freedom Amendment G Coalition, and Sioux Falls resident Erinn Williams announced the formation of Mothers and Daughters for Freedom Amendment G. This marks the sixth group to join the Freedom Coalition in support of restoring abortion rights in South Dakota.
“We formed Mothers and Daughters for Freedom Amendment G for one reason: to tell South Dakota’s state government and its politicians that we are perfectly capable of deciding what is right for our families,” Williams stated. “We do not – repeat, do not –need them telling us how to live our personal lives regarding abortion or anything else.” The group aims to emphasize that decisions about reproductive healthcare should be made by families—specifically, mothers and daughters—working through tough personal choices together. “We believe we will make the right decision more often than the government will. That is why we so strongly support the passage of Freedom Amendment G,” Williams continued.
Turbak Berry added, “When the government starts passing laws that allow one group to impose their personal or religious beliefs on everyone else, we end up with one-size-fits-all laws that threaten access not only to safe and legal abortion, but to IVF and contraception. What South Dakotans need is to uphold our commitment to freedom, where families—not the government—make the decisions that matter.”
The Mothers and Daughters group is focused on building community support for what they call “Freedom for Families,” Turbak Berry explained. “We want people to understand how South Dakota’s total abortion ban strips away personal freedoms concerning reproductive healthcare for mothers and daughters. We will be engaging with the community through conversations, calls, and distributing literature to ensure that ‘Yes on G’ wins and restores the right for mothers and daughters to decide for themselves.”
Erinn Williams, mother of two children aged 9 and 12, shared her personal experience. Postpartum complications following the birth of her younger child prompted Williams’ doctor to advise her that any future pregnancy would pose serious health risks for her. Mindful of that danger, she observes, “If my birth control fails and I get pregnant again, the government currently dictates that I cannot even consider an abortion until my life is in imminent danger. That is terrifying. It also is fundamentally wrong.”
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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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