South Dakota
Ban on advertising and dispensing abortion pills advances in South Dakota Legislature
Mayday Health posted signs like this one at gas stations around South Dakota in December 2025 as part of a campaign to spread awareness about the availability of abortion pills. (Courtesy of Mayday Health)
PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) – South Dakota lawmakers advanced a bill on Friday at the Capitol in Pierre aimed at stopping abortion pills and other abortion-related items from being advertised and distributed in the state.
The House State Affairs Committee voted 10-2 to send the bill to the House floor. The bill would make it a felony to knowingly dispense, distribute, sell or advertise abortion pills and any other “article” or “instrument” intended to be used for an abortion. It would also allow the state attorney general to seek civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation, with payments deposited into the “life protection subfund,” used to defend the state’s anti-abortion laws.
Republican Attorney General Marty Jackley, who’s seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. House in the June primary election, said the measure gives prosecutors tools to target out-of-state providers and marketers, and to intercept shipments without requiring proof that the drugs reached a pregnant person.
“We are not able to do that under the existing law,” he said, because the drug “has to go to a pregnant female.”
The bill empowers action if the attorney general “has reason to believe that a person is engaging in, has engaged in, or is about to engage in a violation.”
Opponents, including the South Dakota State Medical Association, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota, said the bill would chill medical care, particularly miscarriage management and labor induction using drugs affected by the bill, and invite intrusive investigations into private health decisions.
Justin Bell, on behalf of the medical association, said even in cases of legal, non-abortion uses, manufacturers and distributors of drugs affected by the legislation may say, “I don’t know what people are going to use this for. I am not taking the liability of a potential civil action. I’m not taking a risk of getting convicted of a class six felony because of it.”
The bill comes as Jackley is in court trying to stop advertisements on gas station pumps around the state, asking, “Pregnant? Don’t want to be?” The ads from New York-based Mayday Health include a link to the group’s website, which provides information about the availability of abortion pills.
South Dakota lawmakers adopted an abortion trigger ban in 2005 that took effect in 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned abortion rights previously guaranteed by the Roe v. Wade decision.
In 2023, medication abortions accounted for 63% of abortions in the country, according to data from the Guttmacher Institute. Mifepristone and misoprostol, used in medication abortions, are listed on the World Health Organizations’ list of essential medicines. In 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an attempt by anti-abortion medical organizations to overturn the Food and Drug Administration’s prescribing guidelines for mifepristone.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – The President set to travel to Mount Rushmore to mark America’s 250th anniversary.
Friday, President Donald Trump is taking that celebration to one America’s most iconic sites, Mount Rushmore
The President is traveling to South Dakota for a celebration at Mount Rushmore that will include fireworks, military bands and flyovers – including one by the new Air Force One – which had its maiden flight on Wednesday to North Dakota. The Boeing 747 is a gift from Qatar.
While at Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota, President Trump will deliver a keynote address marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The sculpture at Mount Rushmore features 60-foot-tall depictions of the heads of four U.S. presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. They were chosen to represent the nation’s foundation, expansion, development, and preservation
President Trump last visited Mount Rushmore for a Fourth of July Celebration in 2020. The event featured the first official fireworks display at the monument in over a decade.
He’s also repeatedly joked that his face should be added to the monument.
Copyright 2026 Gray DC. All rights reserved.
PIERRE, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The South Dakota State Museum in Pierre reopened three rooms to the public on July 1st after three years of renovations.
The State Historical Society received funds to enhance the Cultural Heritage Center in 2022, aimed at improving the building and expanding collection storage.
The museum’s exhibits were redeveloped based on extensive public input and updated state social studies standards, ensuring they reflect South Dakota’s story for modern visitors.
The reopening of the three rooms is part of the America 250 celebration.
“Come to Pierre and experience South Dakota’s history! People of many backgrounds have aided the process, so come see the collective work,” said South Dakota State Museum Director David Grabitske.
The South Dakota State Museum is closed on Mondays, but is open from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm, Tuesday through Saturday, and 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm on Sundays.
Admission is free for all South Dakotans and children from anywhere.
The remainder of the museum gallery space will be reopened later this year.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
BADLANDS, S.D (KELO)– Cars and campers full of visitors are visiting Badlands National Park today. Tourists are traveling from other states to be in South Dakota for America’s 250th.
“I mean, it’s the kind of thing that you build a road trip for,” said William Retherford, who traveled from Indiana with his family.
For the out-of-state travelers, the beauty of the Badlands can be surprising.
“You picture South Dakota, you think flatland and grass,” said Michael Balafas, who traveled to SD from Idaho. “There are some pockets of South Dakota that are absolutely stunning.”
“It’s hard to even believe that it exists,” said Retherford.
Both families are also enjoying other sites during their trips to western South Dakota.
“What my mom says a lot of the time is, it’s not about the destination but the journey,” said Aralyn Balafas.
Retherford and his family had hoped to be at Mount Rushmore for Friday’s fireworks show.
“We entered eight different ways but didn’t get any tickets,” said Retherford.
Despite not being at the landmark for the show, the trip is well worth it for the country’s 250th.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I mean, we’ll never get to do that again,” said Michael.
“This is the kind of trip that you wait a lifetime for,” said Retherford.
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