.- The governor of South Dakota has asked that a link to a Planned Parenthood teen site be removed from the state library Web page after Bishop Robert Carlson of Sioux Falls wrote him in May, urging him to take action.
Gov. Mike Rounds made the request to the state library board earlier this month and the board complied.
This action has spurred the debate once again about the separation of church and state.
Bishop Carlson told The Associated Press that it was his moral obligation to ask the governor to take action.
Public officials must make decisions based on moral beliefs, Carlson told the AP, and his letter amounted to moral guidance to the governor.
However, Rounds said he did not object to the abortion information on the Planned Parenthood site. Rather, he said, it contained a link to another site that urged visitors to protest Bush administration initiatives. Rounds said he is not opposed medical information on abortion being on the state's Web site.
Rounds is planning a review of state Web sites to see if they comply with the state's Web policy, which discourages content that advocates a political issue or party. He added that content should be suitable for all ages.
