South Dakota Governor, Kristi Noem, has announced two new bills on limiting abortion within the state. The first bill, Prohibiting Abortion After Detection of Fetal Heartbeat is self-explanatory. The purpose of this bill is once a heartbeat is detected in a fetus, then abortion will be prohibited to protect the baby.
The second bill, Prohibiting Medical Abortions Through Telemedicine, is to prohibit medical abortion and provide a penalty for those who prescribe medical abortion without a license.
These bills are similar to the Texas Heartbeat Act, that was commenced on September 1, 2021. The Texas Heartbeat Act bans abortion after the detection of fetal cardiac activity, which Governor Noem’s proposed legislation is based off of.
In an article by USAToday, they state, “Text of the 2022 bill draft lays out the criminalization and process of civil action for violators of the proposed measure: A physician, pregnant person or anyone involved in or 'intends to engage' in the inducing or payment of an abortion is subject to civil action.”
If a physician were to violate the proposed measure, they could face up to $10,000 in statutory damages.
Governor Noem plans to have stronger abortion laws than any other state in the nation, with the goal of a near-total ban on abortion. So far, over the last ten years, abortion has declined within the state by almost 80% and last year alone, Governor Noem signed eight pro-life bills into law.
The Governor’s Office issued a Press Release on the matter stating, “Every human life is unique and beautiful from the moment it is conceived. Every life is worthy of our protection, worthy of the right to live. We hope that this year’s March for Life will be the last and that the Supreme Court will finally protect every unborn life. But until that comes to pass, these bills will ensure that both unborn children and their mothers are protected in South Dakota.”
About the Author:
Alexis is a student at the University of North Florida majoring in International Studies. She plans on obtaining a Master’s degree in the future and hopes to have a career in politics and journalism.
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