Kristi Noem vows push for abortion-medication limits after judge's temporary ruling

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South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Thursday vowed to keep pushing for restrictions to abortion medication after a federal judge temporarily halted a state rule that would have made access to abortion pills more difficult. 

U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier granted a request from Planned Parenthood late Wednesday for a restraining order on a state Department of Health rule that was set to take effect Thursday, The Associated Press reported. 

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem speaks July 16, 2021, in Des Moines, Iowa.  (Associated Press)

Noem, a Republican, initiated the rule change through an executive order. It would have required people seeking abortions to return to a doctor to take the second of two drugs used for a medication abortion. Women have been able to receive both drugs in one visit, taking the second medication at home.

Schreier found that Planned Parenthood had shown the rule likely "imposes an undue burden on a person's right to seek an abortion."

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"We are relieved that South Dakotans' access to medication abortion remains unchanged for right now," Sarah Stoesz, president of Planned Parenthood of North Central States, said in a statement provided to Fox News. "The rule's proposed changes to medication abortion are completely unsupported by medicine and would place an immense burden on patients. Every person deserves the right to make their own decision about their body and their life."

Gov. Kristi Noem at a Thursday press conference. (Facebook/Governor Kristi Noem)

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Noem argued that the rule was necessary for women's safety and said her office is pushing a bill that would put up hurdles to ordering abortion pills by phone or online.  

"The reason that we’re continuing to push it is it’s so dangerous for women to undergo this procedure," Noem said. "They can literally get on the phone or online and request a prescription and undergo this medical procedure in their home with no supervision whatsoever." 

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South Dakota requires abortion-seekers to consult with a doctor twice in person before receiving the medication. 

Medication abortion has been available in the U.S. since 2000, when the Food and Drug Administration first approved mifepristone to terminate pregnancies up to 10 weeks. Taken with a hormone blocker called misoprostol, it constitutes what's referred to as the "abortion pill."

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference held in the Hyatt Regency on Feb. 27, 2021 in Orlando, Florida.  (Getty Images)

Noem sought to further clamp down on abortion pills after the FDA last month permanently lifted a requirement that people seeking the drugs pick them up in person. 

Opponents of Noem's rule argued that it didn’t make sense to require patients to take the second drug at a clinic for an abortion, but allow it to be taken at home for a miscarriage.

By restricting access to the second drug, Planned Parenthood argued, the rule could actually put abortion-seekers at greater risk, pointing to a study that indicated women who skip taking the drug may be at risk of dangerous amounts of bleeding.

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A hearing on Planned Parenthood's request for a preliminary injunction on the rule is set for next week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.