South Dakota’s 2025 abortion report was published by the South Dakota Department of Health (SDOH) in June 2026. The report shows that two abortions that were performed in the states in 2025 were reported to the SDOH. One abortion was performed in June and one was performed in December. Immediately after Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, the state prohibited abortion from conception except in cases where a continued pregnancy would threaten the life of the mother (SD. §22-17-5.1)
The data published by the state does not include the total number of abortions obtained by South Dakota residents out of state or the number of self-managed abortions on women outside of the healthcare system. The report also does not contain the number of mail-order abortions obtained by South Dakota residents prescribed by licensed abortion providers in other states. In a separate section, CLI will describe data provided by both the Guttmacher Institute’s Monthly Abortion Provision Study (MAPS) and the Society of Family Planning’s (SFP) #WeCount project detailing the number of mail-order abortions obtained by South Dakota residents from out of state prescribers. In the past, the MAPS published estimates on the annual number of the state’s residents who traveled out of state to obtain an abortion. However, the 2025 estimates on out-of-state travel totals have not been released. Guttmacher’s abortion estimates include the number of abortions obtained at brick-and-mortar facilities and those provided via telehealth and virtual providers in the United States.
Abortion Totals and Trends
Of the two abortions reported to the state in 2025, one was performed on a nonresident from an unknown state, and one was performed on a South Dakota resident. Both abortions were obtained by non-Hispanic white women. One abortion was performed on a married woman, and one on an unmarried woman.
One abortion was performed on a woman whose highest level of education was some college and one was performed on a woman whose highest level of education was high school. One abortion was paid for using private insurance, and the payment method for the other abortion was unknown. One abortion was performed on a woman with no previous live births, while the other one was performed on a woman who had one or more previous live births. Similarly, one abortion was obtained by a woman with no prior reported abortions, while the other one was obtained by a woman who had one prior abortion.
One abortion was performed between nine and 10 weeks gestation and one was performed between 20 and 21 weeks of gestation. One abortion was performed using the suction curettage procedure, and one was a drug-induced abortion. One abortion resulted in an adherent placenta and hemorrhage. Local anesthetic was given to one woman during her abortion, while the other received intravenous conscious sedation. One unborn child killed by abortion was cremated, while the other unborn child was disposed of via unknown means. Both abortions were performed by obstetrician-gynecologists. .
The sex of one of the baby’s killed by abortion in South Dakota in 2025 was male, while the other unborn child’s sex was unknown. Neither abortion utilized an intra-fetal injection in an attempt to induce fetal demise.
The reason for both abortions was listed as “the mother would suffer substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function if the pregnancy continued.” The report noted that maternal sepsis was the determining factor in deciding that a medical emergency existed under the state’s abortion law, and it was determined that the woman’s unborn child was capable of feeling pain. For the other abortion, the exact diagnosis and whether the unborn child could feel pain are unknown.
The SDOH received informed consent forms from both women who obtained abortions in 2025, and both forms were provided to the women by the physician who performed their abortions. Both mothers were offered printed materials on assistance agencies, and one accepted the materials, while one did not. Both mothers were also offered the state’s Fetal Growth and Development booklet and neither accepted the information. Both women were offered the opportunities to view their sonograms and hear their unborn child’s heartbeat. Neither woman viewed their sonograms, but one woman did listen to her unborn child’s heartbeat, while the other did not.
Guttmacher Data1
Guttmacher estimated that in 2025, 440 abortions occurred in South Dakota, versus the state’s reported total of two. A possible explanation of the discrepancy between the state’s reported total of abortions occurring in the state and Guttmacher’s estimate is that South Dakota doesn’t capture the number of abortions performed using abortion drugs mailed into the state, which Guttmacher’s estimate does capture. Guttmacher tracks the number of abortion drugs sent into the state from states where abortionists are legally exempted under their state’s shield law. Additionally, #WeCount estimated that 500 abortion drug regimens were sent into South Dakota in 2025 under shield laws.2
- The Guttmacher Institute notes that their monthly abortion totals by state are estimates and that each state’s estimate is within a range of uncertainty. Guttmacher’s data can be found in the CSV folder here(Summary_Table_Annual_2023_2024_2025). This information was updated as of July 20, 2026.
- #WeCount’s data can be found hereby downloading the “Report data tables [.xlsx]” document. The #WeCount report specifies that the numbers included in their tables for abortions performed under shield laws only represent the number of women to whom abortion drugs were sent, not the number of drug-induced abortions that resulted from the mailed drugs. However, because #WeCount’s data is the only source of data that delineates the number of abortions by mode of provision (in-person, telehealth/mail order, and/or abortion drugs obtained under shield laws), their data is the best available. This information was updated as of July 20, 2026.
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