Kristi Noem And Abortion

Noem Said She Was An Anti-Abortion Absolutist Who Wanted To See The Practice Banned Without Exceptions

Noem Said She Was An Anti-Abortion Absolutist Who Wanted To See Abortion Banned Without Exception

Noem Told Argus Leader She Was Absolutist In Supporting A Complete Ban On Abortion Without Exceptions. According to the Argus Leader, “This spring, Noem told the Argus Leader she’s an absolutist when it comes to her pro-life stance, desiring a complete ban on abortion without exceptions for rape or incest.” [Argus Leader, 9/2/21] 

Noem Supported Abortion Bans At The Federal Level

Noem Co-Sponsored A Nationwide Abortion Ban While In Congress

Noem Repeatedly Co-Sponsored The Life At Conception Act

2017: Noem Co-Sponsored The Life At Conception Act

2017: Noem Co-Sponsored The Life At Conception Act. [H.R. 681, Co-Sponsors, 1/24/17]

2015: Noem Co-Sponsored The Life At Conception Act

2015: Noem Co-Sponsored The Life At Conception Act. [H.R. 816, Co-Sponsors, 2/9/15]

2013: Noem Co-Sponsored The Life At Conception Act

2013: Noem Co-Sponsored The Life At Conception Act. [H.R. 1091, Co-Sponsors, 3/18/15]

2011: Noem Co-Sponsored The Life At Conception Act

2011: Noem Co-Sponsored The Life At Conception Act. [H.R. 374, Co-Sponsors, 12/2/11]

The Life At Conception Act Would Ban Abortion Nationwide

UC Davis School Of Law Professor Mary Ziegler On The Life At Conception Act: “It Would Be A Nationwide Abortion Ban.” According to the Los Angeles Times, “The Life at Conception Act is fewer than 300 words, but its language leaves little room for ambiguity on abortion. The bill, introduced in the U.S. House earlier in the congressional session, seeks ‘equal protection for the right to life of each born and preborn human person,’ specifying that it covers ‘all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual member of the human species comes into being.’ Put simply: ‘It would be a nationwide abortion ban,’ said Mary Ziegler, a professor at UC Davis School of Law who studies reproductive rights.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/29/22]

The Legislation Could Also Threaten Access To The Morning-After Pill And IUDs

Ziegler Claimed The Legislation Could Ban Some Forms Of Contraception, Including The Morning-After Pill. According to the Los Angeles Times, “The Life at Conception Act is fewer than 300 words, but its language leaves little room for ambiguity on abortion. The bill, introduced in the U.S. House earlier in the congressional session, seeks ‘equal protection for the right to life of each born and preborn human person,’ specifying that it covers ‘all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual member of the human species comes into being.’ Put simply: ‘It would be a nationwide abortion ban,’ said Mary Ziegler, a professor at UC Davis School of Law who studies reproductive rights. […] Ziegler, the UC Davis law professor, said the legislation’s ban on abortion could also extend to some contraceptives, such as morning-after pills, she said.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/29/22]

Legal Scholars Said The Legislation Could Threaten Access To IUDs. According to New York, “The Life at Conception Act is a classic ‘personhood’ bill treating every fetus, embryo, and fertilized ovum as just like me and you when it comes to fundamental rights. While the bill does say it does not ‘authorize the prosecution of any woman for the death of her unborn child,’ there’s no exception to the ‘right to life’ for pregnancies involving rape, incest, or even threats to the life of the mother. Most legal scholars believe ‘personhood’ statutes could ban morning-after pills or the use of IUDs.” [New York, 8/31/22]

Noem Supported The Overturning Of Roe v. Wade

Noem Signed Amicus Brief Submitted To Supreme Court Supporting The Reversal Of Roe v. Wade And Casey V. Planned Parenthood

Noem Signed Dobbs Amicus Brief Which Argued Against Roe v. Wade And Casey v. Planned Parenthood. According to a New York Times opinion piece from Peter Coy, “A friend-of-the-court brief submitted by 240 ‘women scholars and professionals, and pro-life feminist organizations’ amplifies the state’s case and delves more into economic theory. It disputes the Supreme Court’s ruling in a 1992 case, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, that ‘the ability of women to participate equally in the economic and social life of the nation has been facilitated by their ability to control their reproductive lives.’ The brief says that women were advancing in society before Roe — challenging the argument that the court’s decision was critical to their advancement — and that women have continued to advance in recent decades, a period when the rate of abortion was steadily declining. Since changes in abortion law occurred at the same time as changes in culture and technology, it’s hard if not impossible to disentangle which factors were responsible for women’s advancement, the brief says. […] If anything, the brief says, abortion has been bad for women in a variety of ways. ‘The data suggest some correlation between abortion, the feminization of poverty, and women’s declining levels of happiness, including fewer and less satisfying long-term committed relationships with partners and the birth of fewer children than women desire by the end of their reproductive lives,’ the authors write. The majority of the 240 signers on the brief have law or medical degrees. The first signer is Kristi Noem, the Republican governor of South Dakota.” [New York Times Opinion- Peter Coy, 5/20/22] 

Kristi Noem’s Record In South Dakota

South Dakota’s Economy Saw Job Losses And Revenue And GDP Declines Under Noem

2023: Wallethub: South Dakota Ranked 43rd In Best Economies

2023: Wallethub: South Dakota Ranked 43rd State In Best Economies. According to KELO, “For at least two years Gov. Kristi Noem has cited South Dakota’s economy as one of the strongest. The latest ranking by Wallethub shows the state has toppled from any top spot it may have had. Wallethub is a personal finance group that does research on economic factors and analyzes data. South Dakota is ranked 43rd in best and worst economies. The best economy is in Washington.” [KELO, 6/9/23] 

South Dakota Did Not Rank In The Top Tier Of Jobs For STEM Majors. According to KELO, “The Wallethub analysis also analyzed STEM jobs in each state as part of an evaluation of innovation potential The Bureau of Labor and industry experts project increased growth in STEM jobs in the future. The BLM said jobs could increase by almost 800,000 by 2031. South Dakota did not rank in the top tier of jobs for STEM majors in an evaluation by ISE ICT Solutions & Education in 2020. Smartasset in 2023 did not list it as a state with fast-growing STEM opportunities. Industry publications and analysis do not list South Dakota on top 10, top 5 or top 20 lists for start-ups over the past several years.” [KELO, 6/9/23] 

Health Care Services Were Poorly Ranked In South Dakota Under The Noem Administration

South Dakota Was Among The Worst States For Hospital Safety Under Noem

2022: South Dakota Was Ranked 45th In The Nation For Hospital Patient Safety With Only 10% Of Hospitals Receiving An “A” Grade. According to the Center Square, “South Dakota is among the worst states in the nation for hospital safety, according to a new report. The Leapfrog Group ranked South Dakota 45th after analyzing nearly 3,000 acute-care hospitals across the U.S. for patient safety. The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit watchdog organization that assigns letter grades to hospitals based on safety and patient experience. Only 10% of the hospitals it investigated in South Dakota received an ‘A’ grade. It used national patient safety measures from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other supplemental data sources to develop the grade. Some of the measures taken into consideration included nurse and doctor communication, staff responsiveness, communication about medicines, culture of leadership structures and systems, nursing workforce, and other safety measures.” [Center Square, 5/11/22] 

Six Of South Dakota’s Nursing Homes Were On A Federal List Of The Worst-Rated Facilities

Six Of South Dakota’s Nursing Homes Were On A Federal List Of The Worst-Rated Facilities. According to Dakota News Now, “Six of South Dakota’s 98 nursing homes are on a federal list of the nation’s worst-rated care facilities. Five of the facilities are eligible for a special program to improve quality of care through increased regulatory oversight, and the other one is already in the program. The five eligible South Dakota facilities as of the July report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are Avantara Norton in Sioux Falls, Bennett County Hospital and Nursing Home in Martin, Dells Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Dell Rapids, Firesteel Healthcare Center in Mitchell and Riverview Healthcare Center in Flandreau.” [Dakota News Now, 7/14/23] 

South Dakota Ranked In The Bottom Half Of States For Many Educational Markers During Noem’s Administration

Bipartisan Policy Center Ranked South Dakota 50th For Its Ability To Oversee Federal And State Funding In Early Childhood Education

Bipartisan Policy Center Ranked South Dakota 50th For Its Ability To Oversee Federal And State Funding In Early Childhood Education. According to KELO, “The Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington, D.C., think tank organization that focuses on bipartisan approaches to issues, has also ranked states’ ability to oversee federal and state funding in early childhood education. In January, the policy center ranked South Dakota 50th. It ranked the state 47th in 2018. Washington, D.C., was included in the evaluation of all 50 states both years.” [KELO, 8/18/23] 

2023: South Dakota’s Average Teacher Salary Ranked 50th In The Nation

2023: South Dakota’s Average Teacher Salary Ranked 50th In The Nation. According to South Dakota News Watch, “Despite those efforts, South Dakota’s average teacher salary of $49,547 currently ranks 50th in the nation, according to the National Education Association, well below the national average of $65,293 and neighboring states Minnesota ($66,561), Wyoming ($60,234), Iowa ($58,831), Nebraska ($56,463), North Dakota ($54,837) and Montana ($53,133). South Dakota ranks 39th in per-student state spending at $11,102, according to the NEA.” [South Dakota News Watch, 1/11/23] 

Kristi Noem And Corruption

Noem Interfered To Get Her Daughter A Real Estate Appraisal License, Per Legislative Report And Government Accountability Board

Noem Met With A State Employee After Her Daughter Failed To Secure A Real Estate Appraisal License

Noem Met With A State Employee Who Ran Real Estate Appraisal Agency Days After Daughter’s Application Was Denied. According to the Associated Press, “Just days after a South Dakota agency moved to deny her daughter’s application to become a certified real estate appraiser, Gov. Kristi Noem summoned to her office the state employee who ran the agency, the woman’s direct supervisor and the state labor secretary. Noem’s daughter attended too.” [Associated Press, 9/27/21] 

Noem’s Daughter Subsequently Received Her Appraisal License 

Four Months After The Meeting At Her Mother’s Office, Noem’s Daughter Received Her Appraisal Certification. According to the Associated Press, “Kassidy Peters, then 26, ultimately obtained the certification in November 2020, four months after the meeting at her mother’s office.” [Associated Press, 9/27/21]

State Employee Who Oversaw Appraisal License Was Pushed Into Retirement

A Week After Peters Received Her License, Noem’s Labor Secretary Demanded Bren’s Retirement. According to the Associated Press, “Kassidy Peters, then 26, ultimately obtained the certification in November 2020, four months after the meeting at her mother’s office. A week after that, the labor secretary called the agency head, Sherry Bren, to demand her retirement, according to an age discrimination complaint Bren filed against the department.” [Associated Press, 9/27/21]

Bren Withdrew Her Age Discrimination Complaint After The State Paid Her $200,000

Bren Was Paid $200,000 By The State To Withdraw Her Complaint Of Age Discrimination. According to the Associated Press, “A week after that, the labor secretary called the agency head, Sherry Bren, to demand her retirement, according to an age discrimination complaint Bren filed against the department. Bren, 70, ultimately left her job this past March after the state paid her $200,000 to withdraw the complaint.” [Associated Press, 9/27/21]

Following Reporting Of The Meeting, South Dakota Democratic Party Accused Noem Of Abusing Her Position

South Dakota Democratic Party: Noem Abused Her Position To Help Her Daughter Become An Appraiser After Associated Press Report Released. According to a press release from the South Dakota Democratic Party, “As reported by the Associated Press, Kristi Noem abused her position to help her daughter become an appraiser. […] ‘I’ve never seen a clearer case of nepotism. Again and again, we’ve seen Kristi Noem prioritize her own interests over what’s best for South Dakota. Kristi Noem abused her power, and South Dakotans deserve better. After a breach of public trust like this, Kristi Noem has demonstrated she isn’t up to the task of leading our great state with the integrity South Dakotans expect and deserve,’ said South Dakota House Democratic Leader Jamie Smith.” [South Dakota Democratic Party Press Release, 9/27/21] 

Noem’s Office Denied Any Wrongdoing

Noem Spokesman Said Associated Press Disparaged Her Daughter In Order To Attack Governor. According to the Associated Press, “‘The Associated Press is disparaging the Governor’s daughter in order to attack the Governor politically – no wonder Americans’ trust in the media is at an all-time low,’ spokesman Ian Fury said.” [Associated Press, 9/27/21] 

Attorney General Referred Complaint Over Noem’s Meeting To Government Accountability Board

Attorney General Referred Complaint About Noem’s Actions To Help Daughter Secure State Appraisers License To South Dakota Government Accountability Board. According to the Argus Leader, “A panel of South Dakota judges will review allegations about Gov. Kristi Noem abused her office to help a family member obtain a state appraisers license. The Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday announced it was referring the complaint to the South Dakota Government Accountability, which will investigate the matter and determine if any misconduct occurred. ‘In response to questions and concerns from a number of legislators and citizens who reached out to me, I have referred the issue to the Government Accountability Board,’ Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg said in a statement provided to the Argus Leader Wednesday. The allegations center around a meeting Noem had with officials with the Department of Labor and Regulation after the agency had recommended denying Noem’s daughter, Kassidy Peters, a real estate appraisers license, according to initial reporting by the Associated Press in late September.” [Argus Leader, 10/7/21] 

Bren Testified That Noem’s Daughter Received An Appraisal License Outside Of Normal Protocol And That She Felt Intimidated By The Governor

Bren Testified That Path Of Kassidy Peters To Become State-Certified Residential Appraiser Was “Outside Of Recognized Upgrade Procedures.” According to the Argus Leader, “The former head of the South Dakota’s appraisers program, Sherry Bren, told the Legislature’s Government Operations and Audit Committee at the Capitol that the path of Kassidy Peters, the governor’s daughter, to becoming a state-certified residential appraiser was not routine and was outside of normal protocol. ‘It was outside of the recognized upgrade procedures,’ Bren, 71, said of a stipulation agreement created for Peters in summer 2020 following a closed-door meeting at the Governor’s Mansion that she attended along with Noem, Peters and Labor Secretary Marcia Hultman.” [Argus Leader, 12/16/21] 

Bren Testified She Felt “Intimidated” During Meeting With Noem And Peters. According to the Argus Leader, “Bren, who received a $200,000 settlement to withdraw a wrongful termination complaint against the state prior to her retirement in March 2021, told lawmakers that her recollection of what took place during a July 27, 2020, meeting at the governor’s mansion was ‘foggy.’ But she felt ‘intimidated’ during the meeting and that she hadn’t anticipated Peters’ presence there.” [Argus Leader, 12/16/21] 

Bren Testified She Was “Forced” To Retire After Meeting With Noem And Peters. According to the Argus Leader, “She also said she was ‘forced’ to retire following the meeting, though she declined to provide details beyond that she felt discriminated against based on her age. She cited a non-disparagement clause included in her settlement with the Department of Labor and Regulation for being apprehensive.” [Argus Leader, 12/16/21] 

Noem’s Daughter Turned In Real Estate Appraiser License Amid Controversy

Kassidy Peters Turned In Her Real Estate Appraiser License, Said Legislative Inquiry Into The Matter Had “Successfully Destroyed My Business.” According to the Washington Post, “The daughter of South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem said Tuesday that she would turn in her real estate appraiser license and exit the business by the end of the year amid continuing scrutiny over whether her mother intervened in her licensing. In a letter to the South Dakota Department of Labor, Kassidy Peters, Noem’s daughter, insisted that neither she nor her mother had done anything wrong but said that a legislative inquiry into the matter had ‘successfully destroyed my business.’ ‘It is clear that none of this will stop until my reputation and that of my young family are destroyed,’ Peters wrote. ‘The entire inquiry and media pressure has done irreparable damage to my business.’” [Washington Post, 11/17/21] 

Draft Legislative Investigation Report Found Noem’s Daughter Got Special Treatment

A Five-Page Draft Report From South Dakota Legislative Panel Found Noem’s Daughter Received Preferential Treatment In Real Estate Appraiser Licensing Program. According to the Argus Leader, “A daughter of Gov. Kristi Noem received preferential treatment as she progressed through a real estate appraiser licensing program administered by the state. That’s one of the takeaways from a five-page draft report slated to be adopted this week by a legislative panel that spent months vetting allegations of abuse of power against the governor and bottlenecks in the South Dakota Department of Labor Appraiser Certification Program.” [Argus Leader, 5/17/22]

Five-Page Draft Report From South Dakota Legislative Panel Noted Noem’s Daughter Had Struggled To Obtain Certification Before The Meeting At The Governor’s Mansion. According to the Argus Leader, “The report outlines findings of facts compiled by the committee during a series of meetings that included formal testimony from Labor Secretary Marcia Hultman as well as the former director of the appraiser program, Sherry Bren. […] According to the report, Peters had been struggling to obtain certification in spring 2020 when ‘an agreed disposition’ had outlined additional training work necessary for her to obtain her appraiser’s license. That’s when Noem’s cabinet began involving itself in Peters’ path to certification. […] Still, a pending denial notice was sent to Peters on July 20. A week later, Bren was ordered to attend the meeting at the Governor’s Mansion and to bring with her examples of specific errors found in Peters’ work product, criteria used to determine the errors and ‘specific training/next steps are recommended for Kassidy, so she is able to pass?’ the report reads. Less than two weeks later, a ‘stipulation agreement’ was entered into between DLR and Peters outlining those next steps and the pending notice of denial was rescinded.” [Argus Leader, 5/17/22]

Noem’s Daughter Was Given A Third Chance To Pass The Real Estate Appraiser Licensing Certification Rather Than Waiting The Required Six Months To Reapply. According to the Argus Leader, “‘A week later, Bren was ordered to attend the meeting at the Governor’s Mansion and to bring with her examples of specific errors found in Peters’ work product, criteria used to determine the errors and ‘specific training/next steps are recommended for Kassidy, so she is able to pass?’ the report reads. Less than two weeks later, a ‘stipulation agreement’ was entered into between DLR and Peters outlining those next steps and the pending notice of denial was rescinded. The stipulation agreement, in essence, gave Kassidy Peters a third chance to pass the level of certification she was trying to attain,’ the report reads. ‘This is outside of the requirements. Kassidy Peters should have waited the required six months and reapplied for this level.’” [Argus Leader, 5/17/22]

Noem Refuted Legislative Investigation Report That Said Her Daughter Got Preferential Treatment

Noem Denied Daughter Received Special Treatment Following New Legislative Investigation Report. According to Dakota News Now, “Gov. Kristi Noem is denying her daughter received special treatment acquiring her state appraisal license despite a new legislative investigation report suggesting otherwise. Noem responded to the report on Wednesday, saying her daughter, Kassidy Peters, “followed the same process as other applicants.’ ‘For 10 years I have been working to fix the broken appraiser program in South Dakota,’ Noem said in a statement to Dakota News Now. ‘I introduced legislation when I was in Congress, and I continued to address our appraiser shortage issue as Governor. Kassidy followed the same process as other applicants did to obtain her license. She did not receive preferential treatment. And the legislature found no wrongdoing in their review, which concluded in December.’” [Dakota News Now, 5/18/22] 

Government Accountability Board Said Noem May Have “Engaged In Misconduct” When She Intervened In Daughter’s Application For Appraisal License

South Dakota Ethics Board Said It Had Sufficient Information That Noem May Have “Engaged In Misconduct” When She Intervened In Her Daughter’s Application For A Real Estate License. According to the Associated Press, “A South Dakota ethics board on Monday said it found sufficient information that Gov. Kristi Noem may have ‘engaged in misconduct’ when she intervened in her daughter’s application for a real estate appraiser license, and it referred a separate complaint over her state airplane use to the state’s attorney general for investigation.” [Associated Press, 8/22/22] 

Government Accountability Board Determined “Appropriate Action” Could Be Taken Against Noem for Role In Daughter’s Appraiser Licensure But Didn’t Specify Action. According to the Associated Press, “The three retired judges on the Government Accountability Board determined that ‘appropriate action’ could be taken against Noem for her role in her daughter’s appraiser licensure, though it didn’t specify the action.” [Associated Press, 8/22/22]