Saturday, March 25, 2006
Oglala Sioux President Stands Up For Women's Rights
It seems to me the Brown V. Board of Education and Roe V. Wade are two of the most important court decisions of my lifetime. The Republican Party and the reactionary religious continue to chip away at both of them.
South Dakota’s recent outlawing of abortion is one of the biggest blows against Roe V. Wade yet. It’s a terrible thing to do to women: it’s abusive, in effect.
My hat is off to Cecilia Fire Thunder, President of the Oglala Lakota Tribe. The Lakota Sioux have been abused by the United States for almost 200 years. They know what a bunch of white males can do in their power-quests.
Please think about contacting Planned Parenthood of South Dakota, and Ms Fire Thunder and helping preserve women’s rights in South Dakota. It shouldn’t take a whole lot of money to bring about a new clinic at Pine Ridge.
San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center
Original article is at http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/03/1809859.php
Oglala Sioux Tribe on the South Dakota Abortion Ban
by blackeye1776 Wednesday, Mar. 22, 2006 at 12:34 PM
"To me, it is now a question of sovereignty." President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Cecilia Fire Thunder, says "I will personally establish a Planned Parenthood clinic on my own land which is within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Reservation where the State of South Dakota has absolutely no jurisdiction."
South Dakota's abortion law
Tim Giago (Nanwica Kciji) 3/20/2006
© 2006 Native American Journalists Foundation, Inc.
When Governor Mike Rounds signed HB 1215 into law it effectively banned all abortions in the state with the exception that it did allow saving the mother's life. There were, however, no exceptions for victims of rape or incest. His actions, and the comments of State Senators like Bill Napoli of Rapid City, SD, set of a maelstrom of protests within the state.
Napoli suggested that if it was a case of "simple rape," there should be no thoughts of ending a pregnancy. Letters by the hundreds appeared in local newspapers, mostly written by women, challenging Napoli's description of rape as "simple." He has yet to explain satisfactorily what he meant by "simple rape."
The President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Cecilia Fire Thunder, was incensed. A former nurse and healthcare giver she was very angry that a state body made up mostly of white males, would make such a stupid law against women.
"To me, it is now a question of sovereignty," she said to me last week. "I will personally establish a Planned Parenthood clinic on my own land which is within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Reservation where the State of South Dakota has absolutely no jurisdiction."
Strong words from a very strong lady. I hope Ms. Fire Thunder challenges Gov. Rounds and the state legislators on this law that is an affront to all independent women.
(Tim Giago is the president of the Native American Journalists Foundation, Inc., and the publisher of Indian Education Today Magazine. He can be reached at najournalists@rushmore.com or by writing him at 2050 W. Main St., Suite 5, Rapid City, SD. He was also the founder and publisher of the Lakota Times and Indian Country Today newspapers)
www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=7669
® 2000–2006 San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by the SF Bay Area IMC. Disclaimer | Privacy | Contact
South Dakota’s recent outlawing of abortion is one of the biggest blows against Roe V. Wade yet. It’s a terrible thing to do to women: it’s abusive, in effect.
My hat is off to Cecilia Fire Thunder, President of the Oglala Lakota Tribe. The Lakota Sioux have been abused by the United States for almost 200 years. They know what a bunch of white males can do in their power-quests.
Please think about contacting Planned Parenthood of South Dakota, and Ms Fire Thunder and helping preserve women’s rights in South Dakota. It shouldn’t take a whole lot of money to bring about a new clinic at Pine Ridge.
San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center
Original article is at http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/03/1809859.php
Oglala Sioux Tribe on the South Dakota Abortion Ban
by blackeye1776 Wednesday, Mar. 22, 2006 at 12:34 PM
"To me, it is now a question of sovereignty." President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Cecilia Fire Thunder, says "I will personally establish a Planned Parenthood clinic on my own land which is within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Reservation where the State of South Dakota has absolutely no jurisdiction."
South Dakota's abortion law
Tim Giago (Nanwica Kciji) 3/20/2006
© 2006 Native American Journalists Foundation, Inc.
When Governor Mike Rounds signed HB 1215 into law it effectively banned all abortions in the state with the exception that it did allow saving the mother's life. There were, however, no exceptions for victims of rape or incest. His actions, and the comments of State Senators like Bill Napoli of Rapid City, SD, set of a maelstrom of protests within the state.
Napoli suggested that if it was a case of "simple rape," there should be no thoughts of ending a pregnancy. Letters by the hundreds appeared in local newspapers, mostly written by women, challenging Napoli's description of rape as "simple." He has yet to explain satisfactorily what he meant by "simple rape."
The President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Cecilia Fire Thunder, was incensed. A former nurse and healthcare giver she was very angry that a state body made up mostly of white males, would make such a stupid law against women.
"To me, it is now a question of sovereignty," she said to me last week. "I will personally establish a Planned Parenthood clinic on my own land which is within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Reservation where the State of South Dakota has absolutely no jurisdiction."
Strong words from a very strong lady. I hope Ms. Fire Thunder challenges Gov. Rounds and the state legislators on this law that is an affront to all independent women.
(Tim Giago is the president of the Native American Journalists Foundation, Inc., and the publisher of Indian Education Today Magazine. He can be reached at najournalists@rushmore.com or by writing him at 2050 W. Main St., Suite 5, Rapid City, SD. He was also the founder and publisher of the Lakota Times and Indian Country Today newspapers)
www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=7669
® 2000–2006 San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by the SF Bay Area IMC. Disclaimer | Privacy | Contact
