Cecelia Fire Thunder has been impeached.
I originally saw the story in The Economist, but their website demands registration. The Jackson Hole Star-Tribune doesn't, though. Neither does Indian Country Today.
FROM THE JACKSON HOLE STAR-TRIBUNE
By Carson Walker
Associated Press writer
PORCUPINE, S.D. -- The Oglala Sioux Tribal Council voted 9-5 Thursday to impeach the tribal president for proposing an abortion clinic on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
Cecelia Fire Thunder survived two earlier attempts to remove her from office since she was elected in November 2004 as the tribe's first female president.
This time, the issue was over South Dakota's new abortion ban that does not include exceptions for rape or incest.
After Gov. Mike Rounds signed the bill, Fire Thunder vowed to work to open a Planned Parenthood clinic on the reservation, beyond the reach of state law.
Will Peters, a tribal council member who filed the impeachment complaint, said 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. The president was involved in unauthorized political actions," he said after the vote, which came after two hours of private deliberation.
Fire Thunder said the two tribal members who brought the complaint should not have voted on the impeachment and the council did not follow the proper procedure in bringing the action against her.
"I'm OK," Fire Thunder said. "We're going to challenge it.
"It's not about abortion. A lot of them have personal stuff toward me."
Peters said the vote was over her stance on abortion and nothing else.
"The council voted on the merits of the complaints," he said.
The day of testimony, questioning and comments was filled with applause and hollers from Fire Thunder's supporters and detractors.
After the vote, there was some confusion about whether the single action was final, which the lawyers concluded it was.
"She's done. She's not president anymore," one tribal member told people in the audience, who then clapped.
As council members cast their votes, some onlookers gasped at the no's -- indicating disapproval for that member's support of Fire Thunder.
While making his case, Peters said Fire Thunder also solicited donations on behalf of the tribe and embarrassed it nationally.
Lakota values teach that abortion is wrong and life is sacred, Peters told the tribal council and the dozens of others gathered in the community center, many of whom fanned themselves in the summer heat.
"Abortion is what has drawn our tribe into the national spotlight," he said. "She basically took the whole tribe into this with her.
"We sat back and it was like watching a train wreck."
The council suspended Fire Thunder May 29 and also voted to ban abortions on the reservation. When she entered the room Thursday morning, she greeted people in the audience and some tribal council members with smiles, hugs and handshakes.
Fire Thunder said there is no evidence to support removing her from office.
She once worked part-time at a Planned Parenthood clinic in California that performed abortions and said her support for a clinic comes from concern for girls and women who are victims of rape and incest.
"We have a lot of 14- and 15-year-olds getting pregnant and it did not happen by strangers," she said during her statements.
Fire Thunder said she never asked for donations but people from around the country sent $14,463 without solicitation. That money is being returned, she said.
Fire Thunder said she is being punished for her vision.
"It was an idea. It was an opinion. Nothing is happening. There is no physical structure," she said.
American Indians had 72 of the 814 induced abortions in the state in 2004, or about 9 percent, according to the state Health Department. That's about the same percentage of Indians as in the state's population.
Alex White Plume, the tribal vice chairman, will serve as president until the November election. Some people in the audience applauded when he came into the room after the impeachment vote.
Opponents of the state abortion ban have gathered enough signatures to put it to a statewide vote in November.
Cecelia Fire Thunder, former president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, met the anti-abortion movement and lost. At a hearing on June 29, Tribal Councilman Will Peters, architect of the complaints against her, said at the outset that abortion was the issue.''>
FROM INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY
Posted: June 30, 2006
by: David Melmer / Indian Country Today
PORCUPINE, S.D. - The first woman elected to lead the Oglala Sioux tribe was removed from office with five months remaining in her first term.
Cecelia Fire Thunder, former president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, met the anti-abortion movement and lost. At a hearing on June 29, Tribal Councilman Will Peters, architect of the complaints against her, said at the outset that abortion was the issue.
"We are here today because of the abortion. We will plan for and fight for all Lakota, including the unborn," Peters said.
Fire Thunder opened the floodgates of criticism when she suggested opening a women's health clinic on the reservation in response to the state of South Dakota's near-complete ban on abortion.
Asked if abortion was the real reason for her impeachment, she said "I don't know what's motivating them. For a lot of them, they have personal stuff against me. They were not paying attention," Fire Thunder said.
She said the decision violated the constitution and that she would challenge the decision.
Fire Thunder accused the council of not following the proper procedures as set by the tribal constitution and bylaws. She said the complaint against her was filed two days after the motion to suspend her on May 29, and that she did not receive any of her accusers' evidence until the day of the hearing, both violations of the bylaws, she said.
Following a two-hour, closed-door deliberation, Peters in public forum moved to impeach Fire Thunder immediately. On a 9-4 vote, the required two-thirds majority, she was removed. The hearing took place with a reduced council; there are 18 council members from across the Pine Ridge Reservation.
After the state of South Dakota passed the nation's most stringent anti-abortion ban, Fire Thunder, along with numerous others, spoke out against the ban on the grounds that it did not include incest or rape or the health of the mother. Some of those critics of the ban did not survive the primary elections held in the state in early June.
Fire Thunder, in response to the ban, suggested opening a women's health clinic on the reservation to avoid the state law.
Her opponents accused her of bringing the state and federal government onto the reservation.
"She invited federal and state law onto our sovereign reservation by challenging the new state abortion law, to begin her own abortion clinic under the auspices of the Oglala Sioux Tribe," the letter of notification of Fire Thunder's suspension stated.
Fire Thunder told the council that having an idea, or speaking out about issues that go to the heart of her convictions, are not grounds for impeachment. She said the clinic was an idea and that "ideas and opinions are not punishable."
Fire Thunder in numerous media interviews and stories suggested the clinic was to be a women's health facility and, as she told the council, she stayed away from the abortion word.
That's not how Peters saw the situation. He said that Fire Thunder said she would build a Planned Parenthood clinic, "and Planned Parenthood is synonymous with abortion."
Peters and Councilman Garfield Steele, a co-signer on the complaint, brought six charges against Fire Thunder.
The first charge sited Fire Thunder as organizing the clinic outside of her authority as president and that she didn't consult with the council about the project and get their permission. The vote constituted the needed majority to impeach Fire Thunder, and the remaining five charges were not read.
Other charges were that Fire Thunder used the media, the U.S. Post Office and the Oglala Sioux Tribe to solicit funds for the clinic. Fire Thunder said she never solicited funds and that all funds were voluntarily sent in and that some media included an address for donations on their own.
She said any money that was not designated for the clinic was, or will be, returned.
Fire Thunder admitted mistakes were made by her, and that she learned from them and asked forgiveness for those mistakes, but the council also made mistakes. She asked that the complaint be dismissed because there was a lot of work to do for the future of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.
Citing the constitution, Peters reminded the council that the president was to carry out all orders of the council and the council shall assist the president in carrying out those orders.
"I can't look at her as a woman, she is president. She should be focused on the tribe and her duties are first and foremost to the tribe," Peters said.
Fire Thunder said she had a responsibility to lead the tribe and expand services and a women's health clinic that educated women and men about reproductive choices was part of addressing health issues on the reservation.
"In the past everything was about the children. I can't tell you [women] what to do with your bodies, but when you are pregnant the person inside you doesn't belong to you. Women with a baby inside don't have a choice," Steele said.
The scene in the Community Action Program building in Porcupine was of an anti-abortion rally. Packets of material depicting the image of Jesus, a trinket style of rosary and bumper stickers were passed out to the crowd.
Alex White Plume assumes the role of president pro tem and his position of vice president will remain open until the November election.
FROM THE JACKSON HOLE STAR-TRIBUNE
By Carson Walker
Associated Press writer
PORCUPINE, S.D. -- The Oglala Sioux Tribal Council voted 9-5 Thursday to impeach the tribal president for proposing an abortion clinic on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
Cecelia Fire Thunder survived two earlier attempts to remove her from office since she was elected in November 2004 as the tribe's first female president.
This time, the issue was over South Dakota's new abortion ban that does not include exceptions for rape or incest.
After Gov. Mike Rounds signed the bill, Fire Thunder vowed to work to open a Planned Parenthood clinic on the reservation, beyond the reach of state law.
Will Peters, a tribal council member who filed the impeachment complaint, said 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. The president was involved in unauthorized political actions," he said after the vote, which came after two hours of private deliberation.
Fire Thunder said the two tribal members who brought the complaint should not have voted on the impeachment and the council did not follow the proper procedure in bringing the action against her.
"I'm OK," Fire Thunder said. "We're going to challenge it.
"It's not about abortion. A lot of them have personal stuff toward me."
Peters said the vote was over her stance on abortion and nothing else.
"The council voted on the merits of the complaints," he said.
The day of testimony, questioning and comments was filled with applause and hollers from Fire Thunder's supporters and detractors.
After the vote, there was some confusion about whether the single action was final, which the lawyers concluded it was.
"She's done. She's not president anymore," one tribal member told people in the audience, who then clapped.
As council members cast their votes, some onlookers gasped at the no's -- indicating disapproval for that member's support of Fire Thunder.
While making his case, Peters said Fire Thunder also solicited donations on behalf of the tribe and embarrassed it nationally.
Lakota values teach that abortion is wrong and life is sacred, Peters told the tribal council and the dozens of others gathered in the community center, many of whom fanned themselves in the summer heat.
"Abortion is what has drawn our tribe into the national spotlight," he said. "She basically took the whole tribe into this with her.
"We sat back and it was like watching a train wreck."
The council suspended Fire Thunder May 29 and also voted to ban abortions on the reservation. When she entered the room Thursday morning, she greeted people in the audience and some tribal council members with smiles, hugs and handshakes.
Fire Thunder said there is no evidence to support removing her from office.
She once worked part-time at a Planned Parenthood clinic in California that performed abortions and said her support for a clinic comes from concern for girls and women who are victims of rape and incest.
"We have a lot of 14- and 15-year-olds getting pregnant and it did not happen by strangers," she said during her statements.
Fire Thunder said she never asked for donations but people from around the country sent $14,463 without solicitation. That money is being returned, she said.
Fire Thunder said she is being punished for her vision.
"It was an idea. It was an opinion. Nothing is happening. There is no physical structure," she said.
American Indians had 72 of the 814 induced abortions in the state in 2004, or about 9 percent, according to the state Health Department. That's about the same percentage of Indians as in the state's population.
Alex White Plume, the tribal vice chairman, will serve as president until the November election. Some people in the audience applauded when he came into the room after the impeachment vote.
Opponents of the state abortion ban have gathered enough signatures to put it to a statewide vote in November.
Cecelia Fire Thunder, former president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, met the anti-abortion movement and lost. At a hearing on June 29, Tribal Councilman Will Peters, architect of the complaints against her, said at the outset that abortion was the issue.''>
FROM INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY
Posted: June 30, 2006
by: David Melmer / Indian Country Today
PORCUPINE, S.D. - The first woman elected to lead the Oglala Sioux tribe was removed from office with five months remaining in her first term.
Cecelia Fire Thunder, former president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, met the anti-abortion movement and lost. At a hearing on June 29, Tribal Councilman Will Peters, architect of the complaints against her, said at the outset that abortion was the issue.
"We are here today because of the abortion. We will plan for and fight for all Lakota, including the unborn," Peters said.
Fire Thunder opened the floodgates of criticism when she suggested opening a women's health clinic on the reservation in response to the state of South Dakota's near-complete ban on abortion.
Asked if abortion was the real reason for her impeachment, she said "I don't know what's motivating them. For a lot of them, they have personal stuff against me. They were not paying attention," Fire Thunder said.
She said the decision violated the constitution and that she would challenge the decision.
Fire Thunder accused the council of not following the proper procedures as set by the tribal constitution and bylaws. She said the complaint against her was filed two days after the motion to suspend her on May 29, and that she did not receive any of her accusers' evidence until the day of the hearing, both violations of the bylaws, she said.
Following a two-hour, closed-door deliberation, Peters in public forum moved to impeach Fire Thunder immediately. On a 9-4 vote, the required two-thirds majority, she was removed. The hearing took place with a reduced council; there are 18 council members from across the Pine Ridge Reservation.
After the state of South Dakota passed the nation's most stringent anti-abortion ban, Fire Thunder, along with numerous others, spoke out against the ban on the grounds that it did not include incest or rape or the health of the mother. Some of those critics of the ban did not survive the primary elections held in the state in early June.
Fire Thunder, in response to the ban, suggested opening a women's health clinic on the reservation to avoid the state law.
Her opponents accused her of bringing the state and federal government onto the reservation.
"She invited federal and state law onto our sovereign reservation by challenging the new state abortion law, to begin her own abortion clinic under the auspices of the Oglala Sioux Tribe," the letter of notification of Fire Thunder's suspension stated.
Fire Thunder told the council that having an idea, or speaking out about issues that go to the heart of her convictions, are not grounds for impeachment. She said the clinic was an idea and that "ideas and opinions are not punishable."
Fire Thunder in numerous media interviews and stories suggested the clinic was to be a women's health facility and, as she told the council, she stayed away from the abortion word.
That's not how Peters saw the situation. He said that Fire Thunder said she would build a Planned Parenthood clinic, "and Planned Parenthood is synonymous with abortion."
Peters and Councilman Garfield Steele, a co-signer on the complaint, brought six charges against Fire Thunder.
The first charge sited Fire Thunder as organizing the clinic outside of her authority as president and that she didn't consult with the council about the project and get their permission. The vote constituted the needed majority to impeach Fire Thunder, and the remaining five charges were not read.
Other charges were that Fire Thunder used the media, the U.S. Post Office and the Oglala Sioux Tribe to solicit funds for the clinic. Fire Thunder said she never solicited funds and that all funds were voluntarily sent in and that some media included an address for donations on their own.
She said any money that was not designated for the clinic was, or will be, returned.
Fire Thunder admitted mistakes were made by her, and that she learned from them and asked forgiveness for those mistakes, but the council also made mistakes. She asked that the complaint be dismissed because there was a lot of work to do for the future of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.
Citing the constitution, Peters reminded the council that the president was to carry out all orders of the council and the council shall assist the president in carrying out those orders.
"I can't look at her as a woman, she is president. She should be focused on the tribe and her duties are first and foremost to the tribe," Peters said.
Fire Thunder said she had a responsibility to lead the tribe and expand services and a women's health clinic that educated women and men about reproductive choices was part of addressing health issues on the reservation.
"In the past everything was about the children. I can't tell you [women] what to do with your bodies, but when you are pregnant the person inside you doesn't belong to you. Women with a baby inside don't have a choice," Steele said.
The scene in the Community Action Program building in Porcupine was of an anti-abortion rally. Packets of material depicting the image of Jesus, a trinket style of rosary and bumper stickers were passed out to the crowd.
Alex White Plume assumes the role of president pro tem and his position of vice president will remain open until the November election.