SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — South Dakota political leaders are reacting to the news that the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs v. Jackson case.
Governor Kristi Noem tweeted “Today, life wins!”
The South Dakota Democratic Party said Gov. Kristi Noem’s extremist views are out-of-line with most South Dakotans.
“While Kristi Noem claims to be a champion for freedom, in reality, she’s the number one advocate for controlling the lives of South Dakotans,” the SDDP said in a news release. “All South Dakotans deserve the freedom to make their own healthcare decisions – including the choice to have an abortion. Reproductive rights are on the ballot in November and South Dakotans will make their voice heard.”
Noem’s challenger in the general election, Jamie Smith, says we have to respect the will of South Dakota voters in a Tweet Friday morning.
“The Roe decision will likely prompt an attempt by Kristi Noem to completely ban abortion in SD. We’ve voted on this issue twice and decided both times that some access should remain. Reason must prevail,” Smith said.
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D), the second-highest ranking Republican in the Senate, said today is a day he and millions of Americans have worked and prayed. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) said “the unborn deserve protection.”
Brian Bengs, the Democrat candidate challenging Thune in the November election, said he was “appalled at the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade.”
“I am heartbroken for my fellow South Dakotans now subject to the state’s trigger law that goes into effect immediately,” Bengs said in a statement. “South Dakotans already spoke and voted against total abortion bans in 2006 and 2008. This decision not only limits individual freedoms but will put hundreds of thousands of people at risk.”
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called today’s ruling “shameful.”
“Because of the state’s trigger law, South Dakotans now have fewer rights than people in other states in this country,” the statement read. “The ACLU of South Dakota is working with partners and providers to respond to this ruling and fight back.”
