Noem says she will call for special session if Roe v. Wade overturned

PIERRE, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem says she will immediately call for a special legislative session if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe V. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.

Noem tweeted her intentions Monday night following a Politico report suggesting that the nation’s highest court could be poised to overturn the ruling.

South Dakota is one of 13 states with a so-called trigger law that would make abortion illegal immediately if the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The only exception to the state law, which the legislature passed in 2005, is if the life of the mother is in jeopardy.

The governor’s tweet did not specify what actions she would like to see the legislature take. It simply said she would call for the special session “to save lives and guarantee that every unborn child has a right to life in South Dakota.”

Abortion remains legal in South Dakota for the time being, as the Supreme Court opinion leaked to Politico is a draft, and not a formal decision.

If this report is true and Roe v. Wade is overturned, I will immediately call for a special session to save lives and guarantee that every unborn child has a right to life in South Dakota. https://t.co/oIiGibCP7B
— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) May 3, 2022