Doctors who perform abortions will be targeted for prosecution, South Dakota governor says

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) on Sunday said doctors who perform abortions will be targeted for prosecution in her state after a new trigger law went into effect following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade on Friday.

Noem told CBS “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan that while South Dakota would charge doctors who violate the abortion ban, the state will not prosecute mothers.

“We’ll continue to have those debates on how we can support these mothers and what it means to really make sure we are not prosecuting mothers ever in a situation like this,” she said. “It will always be focused toward those doctors who knowingly break the law to perform abortions in our state.”

With Roe overturned, states can now enforce bans or increase restrictions on abortions. South Dakota has a trigger law that immediately went into effect and banned abortions in the state following the lifting of the precedent.

In South Dakota, abortions are illegal and performing the operation is now a felony unless it will save the life of the mother. There are no exceptions for rape or incest.

Noem also said she would seek to ban telemedicine appointments for abortions, looking to stop abortion care providers from shipping abortion pills to women after an online consultation.

The governor on Sunday defended her state’s new restrictions on abortions, arguing that “every life is precious” and that new technology showed how cruel the abortion procedure is for the unborn.

“We know so much more using technology and science than we did even 10, 15 years ago about what these babies go through and the pain they feel in the womb,” she said. “We’re putting resources in front of these women and walking alongside them, getting them the health care, the mental health counseling services they need.”

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