The South Dakota House State Affairs Committee has declined to consider a bill from Gov. Kristi Noem aimed at banning nearly all abortions in the state, one of the top items on her agenda for this session.
The bill prohibited aborions once medical professionals can detect fetal cardiac activity and mimicked the private enforcement process of a similar Texas law still undergoing court challenges.
The Republican-dominated committee declined to give the bill a hearing, saying the proposal could jeopardize other legal battles between the state and Planned Parenthood.
Noem responded by blasting the lawmakers, saying “Every single life is precious and deserving of our protection – but apparently South Dakota legislators think otherwise.”
Noem said it “grieves me that they would take this unprecedented action at this time based on the advice of one out-of-state lawyer,” adding that national pro-life leaders believe that now is the time to have this sort of protection in law to save lives.