South Dakota Indians Unanimously Vote to Ban Abortions on Reservation, Impeach Council President.

On June 30, the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council voted 9-5 to impeach tribal President Cecilia Fire Thunder for proposing an abortion clinic on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation without Council approval.

The impeachment complaint was filed by tribal council member Will Peters, who told the Associated Press (AP) that Fire Thunder didn't have the tribal council's approval to pursue the project.

"The bottom line is the Lakota people were adamantly opposed to abortion on our homelands," he said. "The president was involved in unauthorized political actions."

Previously the Council had voted 16-0 to prohibit abortions on the reservation. The vote followed efforts by Fire Thunder to establish a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic on the reservation.

Fire Thunder's actions came after passage of HB1215. The law makes it a felony for an abortionist to perform an abortion unless necessary to prevent the death of the mother. Governor Mike Rounds signed the measure into law in March.

The council had also voted overwhelmingly to suspend Fire Thunder for 20 days without pay pending an impeachment hearing scheduled for June 30. Although the council requested she not speak to the media, Fire Thunder continued to give interviews and plan the opening of the abortion clinic.

Without permission of the tribal council, Fire Thunder raised nearly $5,000 from pro-abortion activists nationwide to establish a proposed abortion clinic on the reservation. She also obtained lawyers and a group of volunteers to help establish the business.