One side of the abortion issue is knocking on doors again. But this time they're asking for help in silencing the debate. 

This time last year, efforts for and against the legislation banning most abortions extended across the state and the country. 

They stood on street corners, aired campaign ads and made phone calls to reach every voter. 

In the end, the ban failed when put to a state-wide vote. 

The group in favor of banning abortions hasn't said yet whether they'll push for new legislation in the next session, but the group against the ban isn't waiting. They're visiting communities in a petition drive in effort to prevent legislators from discussing another abortion ban bill.

Nathan Peterson is going door-to-door looking for people who are sick and tired of the abortion ban debate. 

"My name's Nathan and I'm with the Campaign for Healthy Families," he told people.

He believes the public spoke when they voted down an abortion ban in the 2006 election. 

"And we're worried some legislators aren't hearing that message because they're talking about bringing it up again," he told people.

He's asking people to sign on to the idea that the legislature should move on. 

"And it basically says we've had enough. We don't want you to focus on abortion bans anymore," he said. "It's time to improve healthcare. Improve education funding. Create economic development. Those kinds of bread and butter issues."

And he says the drive is getting plenty of response. 

"Wondering if you might want to sign it?" Peterson asked.

"Yeah I guess I can," one man responded.

"I've been involved in a number of different petition efforts, and so far this is the best response that I've ever gotten with a petition effort with a canvass before," Peterson says.

Those still fighting to ban abortion say their research says otherwise. 

"I think the people of South Dakota support a ban of some sort," says Leslee Unruh, who led the group supporting an abortion ban.

She says they could go straight to the voters as well, instead of working on a bill with legislators. 

"This issue is not going to go away. People like myself are not tired," Unruh says.

Either way, it doesn't look like the debate is going away. 

Nathan Peterson says 4 out of 10 people they've talked to have actually signed the petition asking legislators not to draft an abortion ban bill. Leslee Unruh says in the coming weeks she'll release her polling numbers on what the public thinks about a potential ban on abortions.