South Dakota voters reject abortion rights amendment in latest referendum loss
Voters in South Dakota have rejected a proposed amendment to establish a constitutional right to abortion. The amendment, known as Amendment G, was defeated with 61% voting against it, marking the second failure of an abortion rights referendum since the Supreme Court's 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
This outcome follows Florida's recent rejection of its own abortion rights amendment, which was the first to fail in the nation. In contrast, all abortion rights amendments proposed in previous elections had passed.
Current South Dakota law bans abortion at all stages except to save the mother's life, with no exceptions for rape or incest. Amendment G aimed to allow abortion during the first trimester and impose limited regulations in the second trimester.