William Napoli

Infobox State Senator
honorific-prefix =
name = William Napoli
honorific-suffix =


state_senate = South Dakota
district = 35th
constituency = Rapid City, South Dakota
term_start = 2003
term_end =
preceded = Cheryl Madden
succeeded =
state_house3 = South Dakota
district3 = 35th
constituency3 = Rapid City, South Dakota
term3 = 1995-2002
preceded3 = Mark Hollenbeck
succeeded3 = Jeffrey Haverly
birth_date = birth date and age|1958|9|19
birth_place = Rapid City, South Dakota
death_date =
death_place =
nationality =
spouse = Peggy Napoli
party = Republican
relations =
children =
residence = Rapid City, South Dakota
alma_mater =
occupation = Businessman
Antique car Museum Owner
profession =
religion = Catholic


website =
footnotes =

William M. "Bill" Napoli is a Republican state Senator in the South Dakota State Legislature, representing the 35th State Senate district.

On March 20, 2008, Napoli announced he will not seek reelection and instead will retire from politics." [http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail6375.cfm?Id=0,67607 Napoli Won't Seek Another Term] ." (March 20, 2008). keloland.com. Retrieved March 20, 2008.] In the Rapid City Journal Senator Napoli has stated that he will run for governor "if his supporters ask him to."

outh Dakota abortion law

Napoli entered the spotlight by virtue of several public statements he made regarding the legislation H.B. 1215, enacted in 2006, to limit abortion access in South Dakota to those cases in which the woman's life would be in danger, possibly anticipating or inviting a repudiation of "Roe v. Wade" by the Roberts Court.

Among his statements were::"When I was growing up here in the wild west, if a young man got a girl pregnant out of wedlock, they got married, and the whole darned neighborhood was involved in that wedding. I mean, you just didn't allow that sort of thing to happen, you know? I mean, they wanted that child to be brought up in a home with two parents, you know, that whole story. And so I happen to believe that can happen again." " [http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/law/jan-june06/abortion_3-03.html South Dakota Abortion Ban] ." (March 3, 2006). "PBS NewsHour." Retrieved June 17, 2006. ]

Asked about a possible exception to that rule, Napoli replied:

:"A real-life description to me would be a rape victim, brutally raped, savaged. The girl was a virgin. She was religious. She planned on saving her virginity until she was married. She was brutalized and raped, sodomized as bad as you can possibly make it, and is impregnated. I mean, that girl could be so messed up, physically and psychologically, that carrying that child could very well threaten her life."

Reactions to Napoli's comments

A strip commenting on Napoli's vote appeared in the online comic "Minimum Security" in early April 2006. [McMillan, Stephanie. (2006). [http://minimumsecurity.net/toons2006/6034.htm Ask Bill] . "Minimum Security." Retrieved June 17, 2006.] It included his office and home telephone numbers, thus prompting calls, some of which were abusive. Woster, Kevin. (April 5, 2006). " [http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2006/04/05/news/local/news01.txt Napoli-lampooning cartoon offered at auction on eBay] ." "The Rapid City Journal." Retrieved June 17, 2006. ] In Napoli's words, "99% percent of the calls I got were just filth. I bet I didn’t talk to 20 or 25 people I could talk to. The rest were screaming obscenities before I could hang up." Woster, Kevin. (April 6, 2006). " [http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2006/04/06/news/top/news02.txt Cartoon sells for $2,200 on eBay] ." "The Rapid City Journal." Retrieved June 17, 2006. ] The cartoonist, Stephanie McMillan, auctioned the original cartoon on eBay for US$2,201.00 and donated all of the money to pro-choice causes. One half was given to Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, and the other half to the Oglala Sioux tribe, because former tribal president Cecilia Fire Thunder had planned on opening an abortion clinic on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

In early March 2006, a Google bomb surfaced for the phrase " [http://www.google.com/search?q=Bill%20Napoli Bill Napoli] ", in an attempt to popularize a neologism of his last name as something undesirable [Tan, Candy. (2006). [http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php/weblog/bill_napoli_is_spelled_a_s_s_h_a_t/ Bill Napoli is spelled A-S-S-H-A-T] . "Smart Bitches, Trashy Books." Retrieved October 5, 2006.] , much like Dan Savage's reaction in his column Savage Love to Rick Santorum's remarks about homosexuality. In early April 2006, his Senate webpage was also the subject of a Google bomb for the term "sexist asshat".

ee also

*South Dakota
*South Dakota State Legislature
*"Women's Health and Human Life Protection Act"

References

External links

* [http://legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2007/mbrdt128.htm South Dakota Legislature - William Napoli] official SD Senate website
* [http://votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=7508 Project Vote Smart - Senator William Napoli (SD)] profile
*"Follow the Money" - William (Bill) Napoli
** [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200641&c=426051 2006] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200441&c=399952 2004] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200241&c=21491 2002] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200041&c=378893 2000] campaign contributions