Within minutes of touching down for a campaign appearance at a virtual golf facility in Sioux Falls, Gov. Kristi Noem bailed upon being pressed by the women on their personal abortion stories—and the dangerous new reality after Roe v. Wade.
Within minutes of touching down for an appearance at a virtual golf facility in Sioux Falls, the top Republican in the state bailed upon being pressed by the women on their personal abortion stories—and the dangerous new reality afterLeah Bothamley of Spearfish and Tiffany Campbell of Sioux Falls approached the governor as she prepared to enter Golf Addiction, where a “Food Truck Tuesday” event was on offer.
It was a chance to get into “good trouble,” Bothamley told The Daily beast, quoting the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis.She arrived at Golf Addiction and was there for about an hour when she saw Noem show up as part of a motorcade, Bothamley recalled. She was also upset that Noem had called the notorious case of a 10-year-old girl from Ohio who was raped and sought an abortion across state lines in Indiana “a tragic situation” even as she doubled down on opposing abortion in such a case.
Pregnancies can be very dangerous for women as they grow older, Bothamley noted, including an increased risk of strokes. That is one reason she supports a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy. Campbell’s interpretation of the mostly untested law is that it only allows abortions if the health of the mother is at risk. That was not the case for her, she said. But after her abortion, she was able to deliver a son who is now a healthy 15-year-old; the other fetus was terminated by the procedure, although she carried it until giving birth.
She said she asked Noem to introduce a bill during the 2023 legislative session to allow for such exceptions to the law. Campbell said Noem responded that she does not bring bills or support bills, which Campbell, who worked as a lobbyist in Pierre, said is not accurate.