A South Dakota House committee controlled by Republicans on Wednesday refused to consider a proposal from Governor Kristi Noem that would ban almost all abortions. The Republican leaders pointed to the bill's wording, which may "jeopardize" their chances of fully outlawing abortions in the state.
Gov. Noem's proposed heartbeat bill would ban abortions after a heartbeat is detected in a woman's womb. But pro-life Republican House Speaker Spencer Gosch argued that the wording in the Republican governor's proposed measure could intrude with a Planned Parenthood legal battle associated with a decade-old law that requires women to consult with a crisis pregnancy center before getting an abortion, the Christian Headlines explained.
This law was halted years ago, but Gov. Noem was determined to take the case up to the U.S. Supreme Court. South Dakota Right to Life director Dale Bartscher said, "We were not in support of the governor's original draft language" and that the group wishes to see the proposed bill return with revisions.
Fox News reported that Gov. Noem lamented the rejection of her proposed bill, saying of state Republicans, "They're not listening to national leaders in the pro-life movement on the momentum we have in front of the Supreme Court and what this legislation means to South Dakota."
The Republican governor added that she did not believe her proposal "takes any credibility away from the case in front of the Supreme Court." Gov. Noem also took to Twitter to express disapproval over the rejection of her fellow Republicans to her proposed anti-abortion measure.
"Every single life is precious and deserving of our protection - but apparently, South Dakota legislators think otherwise. They denied to introduce my bill to protect unborn lives once a heartbeat can be detected," the conservative leader took to Twitter to say on Wednesday.
Gov. Noem said that the "unprecedented" decision was based on the advice of an out-of-state lawyer and cited the Texas Heartbeat Act that the Supreme Court had allowed despite massive pushback from abortion advocates and the Biden administration. The Republican leader also lamented how state legislators have almost always heard every bill, while hers was the first measure in decades to be rejected.
Gov. Noem argued that South Dakota "deserved" to have a hearing on the anti-abortion bill "to protect the heartbeats of unborn babies," which she underscored can be heard at six weeks. She promised, "My focus is on ensuring that we are protecting as many South Dakota lives as possible."
CBS News reported that Gov. Noem was taken aback by her Republican peers' decision to reject her proposed bill, especially when the majority-conservative Supreme Court in January refused to hasten the ongoing court case surrounding Texas Heartbeat Bill. The Supreme Court refused to order a federal appeals court to return the case to the federal judge who issued a temporary block on the law's enforcement.
But Planned Parenthood South Dakota Action Fund advocacy manager Kristin Hayward believes that the governor's setback will not stop her from banning all abortions in the state. Hayward said in a statement, "Don't be fooled by the political games because the fact remains that Governor Noem is pushing a Texas-style abortion ban and fully supports decimating reproductive rights in our state."
