Let's get it straight: The battle over abortion is not about the messaging. The battle over abortion is about policy!

The United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and sent the decision to the states. Then, after Ohio and other states voted overwhelmingly to put Roe v. Wade in their constitution, the right is panicking and talking about how they need to “improve their messaging and spend more money to get their message out.”

This shows how out of touch the “pro-life” GOPers are: It’s not the messaging, it’s the actual policy people disagree with. It’s not about if or when abortion is right or wrong. It is about who has the right to make that decision!

People do not want government to have the power to make this personal, and often painful, decision for women. How can the so-called party of “freedom” and “small government” not understand this?

Currently in South Dakota there is a group called the Life Defense Fund that is trying to interfere with the right of citizens to even vote on this issue. They have been harassing people gathering signatures (like those in the above photo from the Facebook page of the petition sponsors, Dakotans for Health) and spreading misinformation. They claim that this will let women “kill babies” right up to the moment of birth.

What they don’t tell you is that this doesn’t happen. No woman is going to carry a baby up to nine months then change her mind! Late-term abortions happen when something has gone horribly wrong with the pregnancy and it’s needed for health reasons or unviable pregnancies. Those mothers wanted that pregnancy!

The “Decline to Sign” group also doesn’t mention that Roe v. Wade allows legislators to enact regulations to second and third trimester abortions as long as there are exceptions for the health of the mother.

The extremists in our state will pull out all the dirty tricks to prevent voters from having their voices heard because they know that the majority of people in South Dakota don’t think the decision to have an abortion belongs to the politicians.

If they really were pro-life they would tackle the #1 killer of American children: gun violence!

Sheryl Johnson of Sioux Falls is the mother of four daughters of child-bearing age and grandmother of three (soon to be four) grandchildren. She is the Democratic Party chair for South Dakota District 11 and a former legislative candidate.