South Dakota lawmakers pass restrictive abortion pill laws under dispute in federal court – By Stephen Groves (Associated Press) / March 2, 2022
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota Legislature on Wednesday passed a proposal from Gov. Kristi Noem that aims to make the state one of the hardest places in the U.S. to get abortion pills, though it won’t actually be enacted unless the state prevails in a federal court battle.
Every Senate Republican voted to pass the bill, sending it to Noem’s desk on a 32-2 vote. However, the bill contains language that stipulates most of it won’t take effect unless the state convinces a federal judge to lift a preliminary injunction against a similar rule Noem attempted to enact last year.
The bill would require women seeking an abortion to make three separate trips to a doctor in order to take abortion pills and make it clear that women in the state cannot get them through a telemedicine consultation.
The Food and Drug Administration last year permanently removed a major obstacle for women seeking abortion pills by eliminating a long-standing requirement that they pick up the medication in person.
