Fifty-six percent of South Dakota voters rejected Referred Measure 6, the bill that would have banned all abortions except those necessary to save the life of the mother. No matter how we spin it, it is a defeat. And it hurts.

We can point to many contributing factors—massive infusions of dollars from out-of-state pro-abortionists, allegations that the state law did not apply on federal property and therefore an abortion clinic could be opened on the Pine Ridge Reservation, the simultaneous defeat of other South Dakota measures, and the fact that it has been a bad year for conservative Christian candidates and issues generally.

But, the plain fact is, we have failed to persuade a majority of South Dakota voters.

Many were concerned that the measure lacked a rape and incest exception—so many, in fact, that if the exception had been included, the bill probably would have passed.

So, should that exception have been included? I believe an innocent baby has a right to live, even if her father is a rapist. So, am I justified in passing a bill that would save many babies, but allow that baby to be killed? On the other hand, am I justified in rejecting that exception, knowing that the result will be the defeat of the measure and continued abortion-on-demand? I do not have a definitive answer to that question, but we need to consider it further.

Many South Dakotans opposed the measure because they don’t want government controlling their lives. As a native South Dakotan, I share my home state’s commitment to limited constitutional government and individual freedom. But a basic purpose of government is to protect individual rights, the most basic of which is the right to life. Somehow, we failed to persuade a majority of South Dakotans that the protection should extend to pre-born children.

Unfortunately, people do not think as logically and consistently as they did in former times. Some years ago a poll asked, "Do you believe the decision to terminate a pregnancy should rest with the woman and her doctor?" Sixty-eight percent answered "yes." They were then asked, "Do you believe the unborn child is a living human being whose life deserves legal protection?" Sixty-nine percent answered "yes"! Some 37 percent of those polled apparently did not realize they were giving diametrically opposite answers.

In this post-modern era, people communicate in sound bites and make decisions based on feeling and experience rather than logic and evidence. Our challenge is to communicate effectively and persuasively to this post-modern mindset, without compromising our theological integrity.

Remember: God is sovereign, and He is still on the throne! He allowed Measure 6 to go down to defeat for a reason. Maybe He knows that the Supreme Court is not yet ready to overrule Roe v. Wade, and the passage of this measure would have resulted in a bad landmark decision. Maybe He knows we need to educate people more before a law protecting pre-born babies can be truly effective.

And, don’t forget, 45 percent of South Dakotans voted for a law that bans almost all abortions—that’s a good starting base.