Gov. Kristi Noem took bold action today to protect South Dakota women from the threat of chemical abortion drugs.
The executive order restricts so-called telemedicine abortion in the following ways:
- Declares that abortion drugs may only be prescribed or dispensed by a physician who is licensed in South Dakota after an in-person examination;
- Blocks abortion-inducing drugs from being provided via courier, delivery, telemedicine, or mail service;
- Prevents abortion-inducing drugs from being dispensed or provided in schools or on state grounds; and
- Reiterates that licensed physicians must ensure that Informed Consent laws are properly administered.
The executive order also directs the Department of Health to do the following:
- Develop licensing requirements for “pill only” abortion clinics;
- Collect empirical data on how often chemical abortions are performed as a percentage of all abortions, including how often women experience complications that require a medical follow-up; and
- Enhance reporting requirements on emergency room complications related to chemical abortion.
Americans United for Life applauds Gov. Noem’s courage and Catherine Glenn Foster, President & CEO, issued the following statement as a part of the state’s official announcement of this common sense executive order:
“I applaud Governor Noem’s action today to stop dangerous chemical abortion drugs from being mailed to South Dakota women,” said Catherine Glenn Foster, President and CEO of Americans United for Life. “This is no longer about ‘a woman and her doctor,’ but a woman – or girl – and a stranger on the internet. States can no longer depend on the FDA to regulate abortion drugs in any meaningful way, and I am pleased to see Governor Noem step up for her state. Abortion is never safe, but it’s far more dangerous when women are abandoned by physicians and left to manage their complications alone.”
We look forward to Gov. Noem’s anticipated work with the South Dakota legislature in the next legislative session to make this executive order and its protections permanent. Basic health and safety protections such as these must not be political footballs for partisans to punt back and forth, and the citizens of South Dakota and states that care about protecting their people from the predations of Planned Parenthood and abortion activists should be doing everything in their power to make similar protections a priority.
We know that chemical abortions, prescribed by strangers on the internet and delivered by mail, are what Planned Parenthood and other abortion activists consider a promising growth industry. We must not let corporate greed and callous disregard of basic health and safety protections put the lives of women in danger.
I invite every state lawmaker in every state capitol who seeks to pass protective legislation to connect with our team at Americans United for Life, where we strive for the day when all are welcomed throughout life and protected in law.
