South Dakota
Debate begins on abortion-rights ballot measure as Mitchell event brings out both sides • South Dakota Searchlight
MITCHELL — A proposed measure to reinstate abortion rights hasn’t made the ballot yet, but the debate is underway.
About 100 people converged Tuesday evening on Dakota Wesleyan University for a discussion sponsored by the university’s McGovern Center as part of its Courageous Conversation series.
The room was filled with attendees from both sides of the issue eager to dissect the measure, which seeks to secure abortion rights in South Dakota, reversing the effects of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. When that happened, a trigger law that the South Dakota Legislature had adopted in 2005 immediately banned abortions in the state except when necessary to save the life of the mother.
Abortion rights groups don’t support ballot measure that aims to restore abortion access
The ballot measure would amend the state constitution to legalize all abortions during the first trimester of pregnancy. It would allow regulations on abortion during the second trimester, but only in ways that are “reasonably related to the physical health of the pregnant woman.” In the third trimester, it would allow regulations up to a ban on abortions, with exceptions for the life or health of the pregnant woman.
Rick Weiland, whose Dakotans for Health group is spearheading the measure, pointed to a 2022 poll that found 76% of registered South Dakota voters support allowing abortion in cases of rape and incest. Meanwhile, he said, the state’s current law has stripped women of the right to choose whether or not to carry “their rapist’s fertilized embryo to term.”
“And the Legislature refuses to address it,” Weiland said. “You can’t give a rapist’s embryo more rights than a woman who has been raped.”
State Rep. Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, who also serves as vice president of South Dakota Right to Life and attended the discussion via Zoom, said the amendment goes beyond rape and incest exceptions.
“Instead, what they wrote is an amendment that legalizes abortion past the point of viability, past the point where the baby can just be born outside the womb, and up until the point of birth,” Hansen said.
He highlighted the exception for the health of the mother in the third trimester, which he said could include mental distress.
Hansen added that the ballot measure would prohibit the state from implementing health and safety regulations on abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy.
“It’s like the wild, wild west with this abortion amendment,” Hansen said.
OB-GYN Michael Krause, of Mitchell, said doctors would not use mental distress as a justification to perform abortions in the third trimester of pregnancy.
“That is totally false,” he said. “It is harder on that mother, it is not healthier.”
Patti Giebink, a Chamberlain-based OB-GYN and anti-abortion activist, said many women who receive abortions go on to regret them.
“Elective abortion is not health care,” she said. “Because pregnancy is not a disease.”
Sheryl Johnson, the state Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee for U.S. House, said “people are confused” by the language in the state’s abortion ban. She said one of her daughters had a miscarriage a couple of weeks after Roe was overturned, but when she went to the hospital, “they allowed her to go home without receiving care.”
During the middle of the night, Johnson said, her son-in-law found her daughter collapsed on the bathroom floor, soaking from blood loss, and called an ambulance to take her back to the hospital.
Noem doesn’t address exceptions but calls Trump’s abortion statement ‘exactly right’
“So as a mother, I am very angry about that, and yes, it may be that they’re just misinformed, but we’re going to have that. We’re going to have that misinformation,” Johnson said.
Giebink told South Dakota Searchlight the current state law is clear, that aborting an unviable pregnancy is legal, and that stories like Johnson’s are “fear-mongering.”
Weiland said the state’s current law is pushing women to pursue unsafe abortions outside of a medical setting. Hansen said the proposed amendment will perpetuate unregulated abortions.
Weiland told South Dakota Searchlight the proposed amendment already has plenty of signatures and will be on the November ballot. The petition needs 35,017 signatures from registered South Dakota voters by May 7. Meanwhile, the Legislature passed a law this past winter allowing petition signers to withdraw their signatures after the fact, and anti-abortion activists are conducting a coordinated signature-withdrawal effort.
In 2021, 93% of abortions occurred during the first trimester – that is, at or before 13 weeks of gestation, according to the CDC. An additional 6% occurred between 14 and 20 weeks, and about 1% were performed at 21 weeks or more.
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LARCHWOOD, Iowa (KIWA) – A Tea, South Dakota man has been arrested on a felony domestic abuse charge after an incident near Larchwood.
According to a criminal complaint filed with the Lyon County Clerk of Court’s Office by the Iowa State Patrol, 45-year-old Beau Christensen of Tea is accused of assaulting his girlfriend in their hotel room at Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort near Larchwood. He was arrested on Wednesday, July 8.
In his statement, the state trooper who filed the report says Christensen put his hands around the victim’s neck. The victim stated she could not breathe while this was happening.
Christensen was charged with domestic abuse assault – impeding air or blood flow, a class D felony. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana.
He faces a preliminary hearing on Friday, July 10.
At last report, Christensen remained in the Lyon County Jail in Rock Rapids in lieu of a $6000 bond.
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BROOKINGS, S.D. – Instead of boarding airplanes or planning weeklong vacations, many South Dakota families are spending summer weekends closer to home, filling festivals, community events and family attractions that offer affordable ways to make memories together.
That trend is showing up across the state, according to South Dakota tourism officials. And organizers of many local events say they’ve watched it evolve over decades.
“We did re-coin that term ‘staycation’ again this year,” said Shari Budahl Avery, publicity chair for the 55-year-old Brookings Summer Arts Festival. “If things are a little tight but you want to get away for a day, we can provide that experience.”
Families are redefining summer travel
Travel South Dakota has reported that many travelers are choosing more affordable destinations, taking shorter trips and staying closer to home because of continued economic uncertainty. The department said South Dakota is well positioned because many visitors already travel by car from nearby states.
According to the department, 58% of visitors travel within 150 miles of home, and affordability, scenic beauty and family experiences remain among the state’s strongest attractions.
Travel South Dakota reports that visitors rate the state highly for affordability and family experiences, with 87% saying they would recommend South Dakota to others and 90% planning to return.
Shawn Steward, public affairs manager for AAA South Dakota, said travelers look for ways to make summer vacations fit their finances rather than canceling them altogether.
“People still want to travel,” Steward said in an interview with South Dakota News Watch. “They’re just making different choices.”
Steward said many families are adjusting by taking shorter trips, traveling by car instead of flying or choosing destinations closer to home, trends that align with what tourism officials and local event organizers are seeing across South Dakota.
Local events become summer destinations
Budahl Avery said those statewide trends match what festival organizers have observed for years.
“We’re kind of dead center in a pretty good population center,” she said. “People can come on what one friend from Texas called a ‘tank trip’ – somewhere you can drive on one tank of gas and get home.”
The two-day festival features about 178 juried artists, live entertainment, children’s activities, food vendors and historical demonstrations. Budahl Avery said the goal is to create an experience where multiple generations can spend time together without needing an expensive vacation.
Affordable, convenient entertainment
During a recent stop in Brookings, the Cardin International Circus drew families from across the region. Ringmaster and comedian Rulito Videla said attendance varies from city to city, but he believes many families are looking for affordable experiences closer to home.
“If they are staying home, support your local events,” Videla said. “The circus is family-oriented entertainment. You create memories.”
Visitors interviewed in Brookings described making similar choices.
Erica Quam said her family often prefers several smaller outings over one major vacation.
“We live right near Brookings,” Quam said. “It’s close, there were some coupons that made it more affordable, and it’s just a fun, easy activity.”
Sienna Vanmeveren also chose to stay closer to home this summer to save money.
“It’s easier than traveling somewhere,” she said, adding that she would likely travel more if finances allowed.
Not every family is changing its travel habits.
Sviatlana Senchanka said her family recently completed a road trip from South Dakota to California and continues to spend time outdoors at local lakes. She said work schedules determine when her family travels more than travel costs.
For Budahl Avery, however, the value of community events extends beyond economics.
“What keeps families coming back?” she said. “Tradition. Joy. Making memories.”
Whether families travel across the country or simply across town, organizers and visitors alike say a memorable summer doesn’t always require going far from home.
South Dakota News Watch is an independent nonprofit. Read, subscribe for free and donate at sdnewswatch.org. Amina Aidarkhanova received the 2026 Jeffrey B. Nelson Investigative Journalism Endowed Internship and the Chuck Raasch and Sandy Johnson Scholarship from the SDSU Foundation. Contact: amina.aidarkhanova@sdnewswatch.org.
South Dakota
South Dakota governor’s office reports helping with over 800 deportations as feds deliver funding
South Dakota troopers have assisted in more than 204 immigration-related arrests, and state National Guard soldiers have helped process 807 deportations as the state continues to expand its partnership with federal immigration authorities.
The update came as Gov. Larry Rhoden announced that President Donald Trump’s administration has provided $150,418 to the state to recoup the costs associated with the South Dakota Highway Patrol’s collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Under the terms of an agreement signed in the spring of 2025, state troopers are authorized to carry out some federal immigration enforcement duties.
The money will go toward payroll, and specialized equipment and technology for the Highway Patrol’s enforcement work. The state expects additional funding as operations continue, according to a news release from Rhoden’s office.
In May, Rhoden issued a press release saying the federal government had committed to reimbursing the state $165,000. The South Dakota Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to a question about the total cost of immigration-related enforcement for the state patrol.
Rhoden’s immigration enforcement push, which also loops in the state Department of Corrections and the South Dakota National Guard, is part of a law enforcement undertaking dubbed “Operation Prairie Thunder.” It features periodic saturation patrols by state troopers, 14 of which have taken place in 11 cities across South Dakota since last July. Initial operations focused on Sioux Falls.
“Our partnership with ICE has delivered strong results, and I look forward to continuing to partner with the Trump Administration as we work to keep South Dakota strong, safe, and free,” Rhoden said in the press release.
The governor’s office said 40 Highway Patrol troopers are participating in the program. That’s more than double the number trained in mid-May,
when Rhoden announced plans
to fold more troopers into the program.
The 204 trooper-assisted apprehensions of people who reportedly lacked legal status is a jump from May, when
the state said Highway Patrol
reported 150 arrests.
The Corrections Department, meanwhile, has paroled 25 people into ICE custody for deportation. Four more people incarcerated by the state were approved for release into federal custody by the parole board in June, Rhoden’s office said, and the board will consider four more cases in July.
Each person released from state custody saves the state an average of $34,000 per year, Rhoden’s office said.
Seven South Dakota National Guard soldiers have also remained deployed in Sioux Falls and Rapid City since the fall to help ICE process deportations. National Guard-assisted deportation processing starting in May 2025
rose from 664 through mid-May
to 807 as of Tuesday.
The state Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to a request for the total number of people deported from South Dakota since the state began coordinating with ICE.
Some of the people whose ICE deportations were aided by the state National Guard may not have been living in South Dakota, Rhoden spokesperson Josie Harms told Searchlight, as they could’ve been apprehended while traveling through the state.
ICE did not respond to a request for comment on the total number of people deported from South Dakota since Trump took office.
— This story was originally published on southdakotasearchlight.com.
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