Republican Gov. Kristi Noem told Newsmax on Wednesday that South Dakota "already has a trigger law in place" that substantially prohibits abortion if the Supreme Court follows through with overturning Roe v. Wade.
During her appearance on "The Record with Greta Van Susteren," Noem also emphasized the need to "support mothers in crisis" in the event of an unplanned pregnancy.
To accomplish this, the South Dakota governor suggested that the state legislature might need to go into a special session.
"I would like to see South Dakota really be aggressive in partnering with ... nonprofits, maybe churches and volunteers to make sure that they do have options for health care and for support while they go through this pregnancy," Noem said.
The governor said that the only exception to South Dakota's trigger ban would be in cases where the woman's health is at risk. However, she mentioned that the legislature might consider exceptions for rape and incest in the possible session.
"When I ran for governor, ... I talked about being the most pro-life governor in the country," Noem stated. "I put an unborn child advocate in my staff that gets up every day to protect innocent life.
"But we also recognize that there's more that we can look at to (make) sure that we really are supporting families and putting children into safe homes where they can be healthy and happy for the rest of their lives," she added.
South Dakota is one of 19 states with trigger laws in place that would ban abortion in the event of a Roe reversal, which appears likely after Justice Samuel Alito's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization opinion was leaked to Politico last month.
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!