South Dakota’s Upcoming Ban on Abortion Pill Advertising

South Dakota is set to prohibit advertising for abortion pills next month, but a New York-based organization advocating for chemical abortions is attempting to intervene.

Mayday Health, along with former Democratic state representative Nancy Berry, has initiated a legal challenge against the state’s governor and attorney general. They argue that the new legislation infringes on free speech rights, as reported by South Dakota Searchlight.

The law, which imposes penalties of up to two years in prison for promoting abortion pills, was enacted by Republican Governor Larry Rhoden in March and is slated to commence in July.

Mayday Health has yet to respond to inquiries from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

According to its website, the mission of this nonprofit is to “share information about abortion pills, contraception, and gender-affirming care in every state,” aiming to empower individuals to make informed choices regarding their bodies.

Governor Larry Rhoden remarked, “If Mayday Health and the abortion lobby want to sue us to protect unborn children, then sue us,” expressing his stance on social media.

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley stated in a recent filing, “The U.S. Supreme Court has made clear that states have the right to protect life,” affirming his intent to safeguard innocent lives.

Previously, the state filed a lawsuit against Mayday Health over an advertisement that posed the question, “Are you pregnant? Don’t want to be?” which appeared in gas stations statewide, as Courthouse News Service noted.

A study by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) reported that over 10% of patients who used mifepristone experienced serious adverse events within 45 days of taking the pill.

After this study was published, Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. began assessing the potential health risks linked to abortion pills, according to reports from last September.