South Dakota GOP Gov Noem orders restriction on abortion medication, cites women's health and safety

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has issued an executive order to restrict access to abortion medication and is making clear state law requires an in-person consultation with a physician before having a medicine-induced abortion.

The Republican governor on Tuesday directed South Dakota’s Department of Health to create rules that abortion-inducing drugs can be prescribed or dispensed only by a state-licensed physician after an in-person examination, according to the Associated Press. 

South Dakota law already places that requirement on doctors, but Noem's order was made in anticipation that the Food and Drug Administration later this year will allow abortion medications to be dispensed through the mail or virtual pharmacies, the wire service also reports. 

Noem's announcement comes amid an effort by some fellow Republican governors to limit abortions.