A sacred choice?

The most recent Lakota Times included details from a press conference Oglala Sioux president Cecilia Fire Thunder held re: her plans to build an abortion mill on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The name of her mill will be Sacred Choices Clinic.

The Times also included an opinion piece from the writer who started it all, Tim Giago, when he printed Fire Thunder's now infamous quote:

To me, it is now a question of sovereignty. 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.

There's some major back-peddling going on.

Given Fire Thunder's original statement, she flatly contradicted herself during the press conference by "repeatedly stat[ing] this was not a sovereignty issue, but about women and their rights."

Could it be Fire Thunder threatened government funding and help by declaring her reservation was an island?

Giago attempted to rewrite history as well. He stated in his op ed:

Let's stop for a minute and look at what Fire Thunder had in mind. First of all and foremost, she wanted a Planned Parenthood Clinic that would help the women of the reservation find treatment for the myriad of problems they face, problems that include rape, incest, teen pregnancies, AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases, and terrible spousal and boyfriend abuse. And, as a last resort, the opportunity to obtain an abortion in a case of rape or incest.

No, that's not what she said. Abortion was her first thought, not her last. Fire Thunder could have launched a pregnancy care clinic way before now that would have addressed all the concerns Giago brought forth aside from abortion. No, abortion is her focus, also demonstrated by the fact she is devoting precious time to procure signatures for a referendum against the abortion ban.

Giago also attempted the logic that it's better to kill children than risk their being born into poverty or adopted by non-Indians:

There are far too many children on Indian reservations that have been abandoned and left to be raised by their grandparents, or worse, left in the hands of social welfare agencies. Until the Indian Child Welfare Act came along these unfortunate children were often adopted out to non-Indians, especially to white church groups who then passed them on to members of their parish.

Also note that churches are apparently damned if they don't and damned if they do:

The Times also included a great pro-life guest editorial by Thom Little Moon, countering Fire Thunder and Giago.

Hat tip: Stacy