AP

South Dakota Gov. Noem: No special session on abortion

Jul 15, 2022, 3:38 AM | Updated: 3:41 pm

FILE - South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem speaks on Feb. 25, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. Noem was initially e...

FILE - South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem speaks on Feb. 25, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. Noem was initially eager to jump right into lawmaking when the U.S. Supreme Court indicated this year it was poised to allow states to ban abortions. But now that the political realities of the state’s trigger ban on abortions have arrived, the Republican governor has hesitated. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

(AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said Friday that she has reversed her initial plan to call a special legislative session this year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

When the Supreme Court’s decision first leaked in May, Noem tweeted that she would “immediately call for a special session to save lives” if Roe was overturned. South Dakota already had a trigger law that immediately banned abortions after the ruling came out in June.

Noem, who has since shown caution in the evolving landscape of abortion politics, is among prominent Republican governors across the country who are navigating an issue that threatens to divide the party while giving Democrats a potential election-year boost.

“In the last few weeks, it has become clear that South Dakota is the most pro-life state in the nation,” Noem said in a statement, pointing to a ban that allows a woman to have an abortion only if it will save her life, as well as a website she launched that directs pregnant women to state resources.

Noem said she has the support of top lawmakers, as well as influential anti-abortion groups, in holding off legislative action until next year.

For abortion rights advocates, the governor’s announcement provided little comfort as they strategized how to restore access to the procedure in South Dakota.

The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota said it would turn its attention to the November election and would closely follow the 2023 legislative session.

“Politicians who do not believe in protecting the civil rights and liberties of their constituents have no business in governors’ mansions, in state attorneys general’s offices or in state legislatures,” Libby Skarin, the ACLU’s campaign director, said in a statement.

One group of contrarian Republican lawmakers, which recently organized themselves as the South Dakota Freedom Caucus, was critical of Noem’s change of plans. Earlier Friday, the caucus chairman, Republican Rep. Aaron Aylward, had said an immediate special session was necessary “to close the loopholes” in South Dakota’s abortion ban.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

19 hours ago

Photo: Mountaineer Jim Whittaker has died at 95....

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95

Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, has died at age 95.

19 hours ago

File photo: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024....

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in 2000, has died.

20 hours ago

islamic state attack...

Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press

What we know after the Islamic State group claims responsibility for Moscow massacre

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people.

4 days ago

Moscow shooting...

The Associated Press

Russia: 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Assailants burst into a concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100.

6 days ago

Photo: Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge visits 282 (East Ham) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets, Cornwel...

Associated Press

Kate Middleton announces she has cancer, is undergoing chemotherapy

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, says she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer. She has been out of view since Christmas.

6 days ago

South Dakota Gov. Noem: No special session on abortion