Oglala Sioux Tribe President Cecelia Fire Thunder recently said she hopes to establish a clinic that provides abortion services on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation -- which covers millions of acres within the state's borders south of Rapid City -- in the event that a South Dakota law (HB 1215) that bans abortion except to save a woman's life goes into effect, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports (Ramos, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 3/28). According to an opinion piece by Tim Giago published in the March 20 edition of the Native American Times, Fire Thunder responded to the approval of the law by saying, "To me, it is now a question of sovereignty," adding, "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" (Indianz.com, 3/21). The Oglala Sioux Tribal code says, "A child conceived but not born is deemed to be an existing person so far as may be necessary for its interests and welfare to be protected in the event of its subsequent birth." The code does not mention abortion specifically, Charlie Abourezk, a Rapid City-based attorney who has represented the tribe and Fire Thunder, said. "In our culture, children are sacred, but women are sacred too, and somebody who has been victimized by rape or incest should have options," Fire Thunder said in a statement (Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 3/28).

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South Dakota Attorney General Larry Long (R) confirmed that the abortion ban could not be enforced for abortions that take place on the reservation because federally recognized Native American tribes are not governed by state law. Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota President Sarah Stoesz in a statement released on Saturday said, "While the idea of a future collaboration with President Fire Thunder is certainly possible, we do not intend to pursue such an effort at this time, since we are both focused on our current collaborative effort, overturning the abortion ban." She added that PPMNDSD's clinics in Sioux Falls and Rapid City "remain open" (PPMNDSD release, 3/25). Fire Thunder in an e-mail said she is concerned that PPMNDSD's clinic in Sioux Falls was the only clinic in the state that performs the procedures (Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 3/28).