Dear George W. Bush,
Actually considering that the South Dakota ban made no exceptions for rape or incest, the 44% that the referendum garnered was pretty amazing.
I think that a referendum putting forth a bill banning abortion in the cases of life of the mother, rape, and incest, would easily get more than 50% in South Dakota. Throw in severe fetal deformity, and it'd likely top 60%.
I know that Gallup has done polls asking the question nationally, should abortion be restricted to cases of rape, the incest, life of the mother, and severe fetal deformity, and they've seen positive responses in the high 50%s and into the 60%s.
I think after a period of perhaps a decade after overturning Roe, most states would have laws that were approximately that restrictive.
sitetest
IIRC the SD abortion ban passed by the legislature did not include an exception for the life of the mother, or for rape or incest. I believe that any ban which does not make an exception for the life of the mother is doomed to fail in a public referendum, and very likely to fail if it does not also except abortions for rape and incest.
While I totally agree with the legislators that there should not be an exception for rape and incest cases, I would reluctantly agree to those exceptions if that would assure the law's approval by the voters. I don't have a problem with an exception in cases where delivering the baby either vaginally or surgically would involve a high risk of death for the mother and the diagnosis has been confirmed by more than one unbiased medical doctor. But whether or not I or anyone else agrees with those exceptions, I don't believe that a ban on abortion which requires the approval of the voters could be enacted in any state without them.