South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem signed two laws Wednesday, both aimed at making current abortion laws stricter.
The first bill, HB 1318, bans abortion via telemedicine. Women will be required to visit an abortion facility, where they will receive a dose of either mifepristone or misoprostol and then wait at least 24 hours before receiving a full, fatal dose.
“Pushed by the profit-driven abortion industry and the Biden administration, these drugs are sending women to the emergency room at a rate that has increased more than 500% since the early 2000s,” Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said.
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Abortions in South Dakota will now have to take place on location across two visits. Previously, women had the option to end their pregnancies at home. It is unclear how many abortions have been conducted in South Dakota homes.
“Any person who practices medicine, osteopathy, or any of the branches thereof without a license, certificate, or permit issued by the board and prescribes medicine in order to induce a medical abortion, as defined by section 4 of this Act, is guilty of a Class 6 felony,” the bill also reads.
Its companion bill, HB 1113, would charge anyone who coerces an abortion with a class 1 misdemeanor. A person who threatens to commit “homicide, murder, or manslaughter,” “aggravated assault,” or “kidnapping” could be found guilty of a class 5 felony.
Homicide is the No. 1 cause of death among pregnant women nationwide.
“The time is drawing near for the Supreme Court to issue a ruling on the Dobbs case. I hope that case will overturn Roe v. Wade, but until that day, South Dakota will continue to advance legislation that protects the lives of unborn children,” Noem said. “The two bills that I am signing today are crucial because they are also protections for mothers.
“We must remember that abortion has two victims: both the unborn child who loses their life and the mother who must go through the physical and emotional trauma of the procedure,” she continued.
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The legislation comes one year after Noem banned abortions conducted for no reason other than the child likely having Down syndrome. Others who have tried to enact similar legislation haven’t been so lucky, with one attempt struck down in the United Kingdom.
In Iceland, Down syndrome had been nearly eradicated, as nearly all fetuses testing positive for the condition are aborted.
