California governor launches pro-choice billboards in South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - California Gov. Gavin Newsom launched pro-choice billboards in seven of the most restrictive anti-abortion states, including South Dakota.

The billboards - which are running in Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Texas, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Oklahoma - point women to abortion.ca.gov, a one-stop website providing information and resources to any women seeking abortion and reproductive care in California. These states – many of which have recently enacted no-exception abortion bans, are among the most restrictive in the country regarding abortion care. Mississippi has a ban on any advertising of abortion care, setting up a potential first amendment court fight.

Gov. Newsom notified Gov. Noem that the billboards were coming via Twitter.

@govkristinoem this will be launching in your state today. pic.twitter.com/Ene2N27dlP
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 15, 2022

Gov. Noem responded with the following tweet.

In South Dakota, we are a destination for FREEDOM and LIFE.

Now that you’ve run your billboards in SD, why don’t you get to work cleaning up the human feces on the streets of your cities and turning the lights back on.

By the way, did you write this tweet in the dark? https://t.co/WiiFGIQ3Sv
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) September 15, 2022

“Here is my message to any woman seeking abortion care in these anti-freedom states: Come to California. We will defend your constitutional right to make decisions about your own health. These un-American abortion bans -- many of them without exceptions for rape and incest - are literally killing women. The idea that these Republican politicians are seeking to ‘protect life’ is a total farce. They are seeking to restrict and control their constituents and take away their freedom.”
South Dakota Gov. Newsom told NBCUniversal

The ads direct residents to abortion.ca.gov, a state website that provides people both inside and outside of California with information about abortion care, their legal rights, how to find providers, information on financial assistance, and more. For example, in Texas, the billboards read “Texas doesn’t own your body. You do,” as well as “Need an abortion? California is here to help.”