Family-friendly legislation is enjoying a string of success in South Dakota.
Women will be offered an ultrasound image of their preborn baby before an abortion; sexually oriented businesses will be regulated statewide; and public preschool will not be mandatory.
It was a fast start for Chris Hupke, new executive director of the South Dakota Family Policy Council, which is associated with Focus on the Family.
"I've learned in grassroots that the more you can get out of the gate early, the better off we'll be," Hupke said.
He was quick to admit the successes were the result of teamwork with organizations in and outside of South Dakota.
The regulation of sex shops was thanks to the Arizona Family Policy Council, which had been there before.
"One of the benefits that we have is we can call our counterparts in these different states and ask them how they worked the bill, what were some of their challenges, what would they do differently," Hupke said.
In the defeat of the mandatory preschool legislation, it was an alliance with Concerned Women for America (CWA) that made the difference.
"We were able to once again kill that legislation in conjunction will all of us networking together," said Cindy Flakoll, a CWA volunteer.
Hupke said divine help made the biggest difference.
"When you step back," he said, "you realize that God's favor was clearly all over this."
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