It hasn't been easy for Cecelia Fire Thunder. She faced questions about her gender during her successful campaign as the first woman president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

Within months of taking office, Fire Thunder was suspended. She was eventually cleared but couldn't perform her duties for more than two months.

Controversy erupted again when Fire Thunder spoke out against South Dakota's restrictive abortion ban. She said she would start a women's clinic on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

The tribal council has since voted to ban abortion. Members said Fire Thunder violated her duties by accepting donations for the clinic.

"When your reservation has the highest rates of unreported rapes and crimes in Indian Country, something is very wrong. So yes, I did offer my land for the clinic, and, yes, I knew it would get me in trouble. And it did," she told The Rapid City Journal.

Get the Story:
Oglala Sioux Tribe Council bans abortions, suspends president (The Rapid City Journal 6/1)

Relevant Links:
Oglala Sioux Tribe - http://www.lakotamall.com/oglalasiouxtribe

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