Governor Kristi Noem wants to ban abortions on fetuses with Down Syndrome.
She announced the proposal during her State of the State address.
A spokesperson for the state’s only abortion provider says Down Syndrome testing often happens too late in a pregnancy, when abortions are no longer legal in the state.
South Dakota has one of the strictest abortion laws in the country.
Now, the governor says her administration will work with anti-abortion groups to craft legislation to ban abortions for fetuses with Down Syndrome. She urges swift passage.
“I look forward to the day when the Supreme Court recognizes that all preborn children inherently possess this right to life, too. Until that time comes, I am asking the South Dakota legislature to pass a law that bans the abortion of a preborn child, just because that child is diagnosed with Down syndrome.”
State law allows abortions through the first twelve weeks of pregnancy. According to the Mayo Clinic, Down Syndrome is detectable only after the first 10 to 13 weeks of pregnancy.
Kristin Hayward is a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. She says some down syndrome testing happens too late for abortion to be an option in the state.
“For her to put a law out there like this is definitely a little scary to start with,” Hayward says. “As far as women going through an abortion, we support their right to choose whatever it is that makes sense for them. It’s about what women know best for their own bodies, what they know best for their family and their own financial situation.”
Hayward says South Dakota’s abortion law reflects its distrust for women to make their own medical decisions.
Governor Noem also says her administration will work anti-abortion groups in the state to pass a new law banning abortions of fetuses with Down Syndrome.
-Contact SDPB reporter Lee Strubinger by email.
