SDRTL's public hypocrisy earns rare public rebuke from Operation Rescue

Contact: Troy Newman, President, 316-841-1700; Cheryl Sullenger, Senior Policy Advisor, 316-516-3034; both with Operation Rescue, info@operationrescue.org

 

SIOUX FALLS, SD, Oct. 9 /Christian Newswire/ -- South Dakota Right To Life (SDRTL) has betrayed the innocent children that it once defended by joining with Planned Parenthood and the ACLU in active opposition to Measure 11, the proposed South Dakota ban on abortions that will be on the November ballot.

 

"We almost never publicly criticize other pro-life groups, but this time we cannot keep silent while South Dakota Right To Life actively works to ensure that as many babies as possible continue to be aborted in their state. They are out of step with nearly every credible pro-life group in the nation that has worked to support this abortion ban," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "It's time they changed their name to 'South Dakota Right To Die.'"

 

In their most recent newsletter, SDRTL used hypocritical reasons for opposing Measure 11, stating:

 

South Dakota Right to Life opposes Initiative 11, the so-called abortion ban, not only because it fails to protect all life from conception to natural death, but more importantly because it names specific lives expendable, those conceived from rape or incest and those who threaten their mother's health. We believe it is the wrong bill at the wrong time and that it is presumptuous to believe it will save over 95% of the babies now aborted in South Dakota. We encourage pro-lifers to instead channel their energies toward electing a pro-life president and pro-life representatives on both the state and national levels.

 

"Measure 11 was never meant to protect all life from conception to natural death. It was meant to save as many babies as possible by banning abortions except in the rarest of circumstances. It's never the 'wrong time' to save a life, and there is nothing presumptuous about expecting people to obey the law," said Newman. "One has to wonder why the SDRTL is so adamant about making sure every baby possible continues to die."
 
In a referendum last year, South Dakota defeated a similar abortion ban that only provided for an exception to save the life of the mother. Measure 11 added exceptions for rape and incest, after polling data indicated that such exceptions would insure passage.
 
"Measure 11 is not making any life 'expendable.' It is saving every one it can under the circumstances. To say otherwise is hypocritical coming from a group that is willing to expend the lives of thousands of babies yearly by opposing Measure 11," said Newman. "And the hypocrisy doesn't stop there. They encourage their membership to instead invest their efforts in the McCain/Palin ticket, when McCain supports destructive human embryonic experimentation. By their logic, they are making the lives of human embryos 'expendable.'" 
 
"SDRTL needs to get out of bed with Planned Parenthood and rejoin the pro-life movement, before they get innocent blood on their hands." 
 
About Operation Rescue®
Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation.  Operation Rescue recently made headlines when it bought and closed an abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas and has become the voice of the pro-life activist movement in America.  Its activities are on the cutting edge of the abortion issue, taking direct action to restore legal personhood to the pre-born and stop abortion in obedience to biblical mandates.