PIERRE, SD (AP) – South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, along with the state’s Republican attorney general, said Tuesday the state will prosecute pharmacists who dispense abortion-inducing pills following a new Food and Drug Administration rule change that broadens access to the pill. .
Republican Governor and South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley issued a letter to South Dakota pharmacists saying they are “subject to felony prosecution” if they obtain or dispense abortion-inducing drugs. The state prohibits all abortions except to save the life of the pregnant woman.
“South Dakota will continue to enforce all laws including those that respect and protect the lives of the unborn,” Noem and Jackley said in the letter.
The FDA earlier this month officially updated the label for abortion pills to allow more retail pharmacies to distribute them, as long as they complete the certification process.
The change could expand access to online pharmacies. People can get a prescription through a telehealth consultation with a health professional and then receive pills by mail, where allowed by law.
Still, in states like South Dakota, the impact of the rule change has been blunted by laws that restrict abortion broadly and the pill specifically. Legal experts predict years of court battles over access to the pill as abortion rights advocates bring trial cases to challenge state bans.