Boycott of South Dakota still the strongest defense of women's rights

In 2017 after a Republican governor signed a bill into law that discriminates against some couples who want to adopt, a boycott of South Dakota had significant effects on tourism and some Black Hills business owners experienced decreases of some 30-40 percent. Boycotts to protest the state's attacks on kids and American history had effects on travel in 2020 and 2021. This year after yet another racist incident in the state tribal leaders called again for boycotts of the tourist traps in South Dakota.

A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 3.6 million visitors to Black Hills area national parks spent $231.6 million in the state in 2021. That spending resulted in 3,362 jobs and had a cumulative benefit to the state economy of $301.4 million. [National park tourism in the Black Hills area creates $301.4 million in economic benefit]

Now, Europe is calling for travelers to just stay away from states where trigger laws targeting women have gone into effect.

Travel and tourism represents a huge industry for the US. In 2019, the US received almost 80 million international visitors. By 2032 this sector could represent almost 10 per cent of the US economy, according to the latest Economic Impact Report from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The country has had a faltering relationship with inbound travel since the pandemic, but the WTTC forecast in June that travel and tourism will inject up to $2.6 billion into the US economy in the next 10 years. [How US tourism recovery could be hijacked by Roe vs Wade and abortion rights]

Not only has the South Dakota Republican Party failed Indigenous Americans by not expanding Medicaid it has failed veterans and the elderly: its historically loyal voter base. But its more progressive neighbor to the north has seen the light. Medicaid expansion and Obamacare have made abortions in North Dakota safer and rarer.

David Treuer was born of a Holocaust survivor and Ojibwe mother. He believes that most land held in America's national parks should be remanded to Indigenous peoples but it's my view that much of the land held in the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service should also be part of that trust. 

If Mrs. Noem can discriminate against women what stops her from compelling South Dakota’s deranged legislature from passing laws against disabled people?

Dana Bash: Will the state of South Dakota going forward force a 10-year-old in that very same situation to have a baby?

Kristi Noem: In South Dakota, the law today is that abortions are illegal except to save the life of the mother.

[that's a yes] pic.twitter.com/QSZHGoy5TM

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 3, 2022