
South Dakota governor defends state's abortion 'trigger' ban when asked if 10-year-old should be forced to give birth
CNN
South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem on Sunday defended her state's abortion ban, which includes an exception when the pregnant person's life is at risk but not in cases involving incest or rape.
When asked by CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union" whether children similar to a 10-year-old child abuse victim who traveled from Ohio to Indiana to receive an abortion should be forced to give birth, Noem said, "This tragedy is horrific. I can't even imagine. I have never had anybody in my family or myself gone through anything like this. ... But, in South Dakota, the law today is that the abortions are illegal, except to save the life of the mother."
Noem told Bash she would not be in favor of amending the current law -- a so-called trigger law that took effect following the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade -- to add an exception for similar situations, saying, "I don't believe a tragic situation should be perpetuated by another tragedy."