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GOP lawmakers in South Dakota took an unprecedented step Wednesday to block the hearing of a pro-life bill presented by Gov. Kristi Noem. Church Militant’s Trey Blanton reports that Noem’s fellow Republicans believe the bill — based on the life-saving Texas heartbeat law — needs revision.
Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D.: “Your legislators refused to give a bill the hearing, for the very first time ever, and that it’s a pro-life bill, which I think is tragic.”
Governor Noem took the state’s legislature to task for refusing to hear a bill modeled on a successful Texas law that the courts continue to allow to remain in place. The heartbeat law allows private citizens to sue abortionists and those who aid in the commission of an abortion.
Noem: “The speaker said that all I brought forward was language. That’s a lie. It’s not true. I brought a bill forward, and they rejected it.”
Noem accuses the legislators of lying about the quality of her bill and criticizes them for basing their decision on one lawyer’s testimony instead of the multiple lawyers Noem consulted.
Noem: “Instead of having an honest debate over that and the merits of the bill, instead, they chose to not even have a hearing, which is wrong.”
Lawmakers applauded Noem’s State of the State address three weeks ago when she pledged to introduce a heartbeat bill.
Noem: “It is important that we continue to make the right decisions here in South Dakota — [that] we be transparent, have open debate on these issues that are so important for our people.”
Noem vows to continue the fight against abortion on behalf of pro-life South Dakotans. Regardless of what the Supreme Court decides on specific pro-life laws, the imperative is on state leadership to fight for life. The South Dakotan Republican legislators have not yet addressed the issues they had with the heartbeat law. They described its failure to be heard as “part of the process.”