South Dakota rejects effort to protect reproductive rights in the state constitution

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The South Dakota Senate begins a floor session, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, at the state Capitol in Pierre, S.D. / AP

This piece originally appeared as part of NPR's live coverage of the 2024 election. For more election coverage from the NPR Network head to our live updates page.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — South Dakota voters rejected an abortion rights amendment to the state constitution, according to a call by the Associated Press.

Anti-abortion groups called the proposal ‘too extreme.’

The constitutional amendment would have allowed abortion in the first trimester, while allowing the state to regulate and restrict the procedure later in pregnancy.

More: South Dakota election results

The vote affirms one of the strictest abortion bans in the country. The only exception is to save the life of the woman. There are no exceptions for health, or pregnancies resulting from rape or incest.

The law was put into place as a so-called trigger law in 2005. State attempts to clarify the law fell flat for some healthcare professionals, who say the law remained unclear.

The abortion rights amendment did not have the support of the local ACLU and Planned Parenthood groups.

The campaign for the amendment was quiet, up until the last few weeks before election day. A last-minute infusion of cash from a political action committee associated with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker helped bolster the campaign in the final days before the election.

Voters in South Dakota and Florida this week failed to pass constitutional amendments to protect abortion rights. Voters in Missouri, Colorado, New York and Maryland, meanwhile, protected abortion rights.