The South Dakota Senate begins session on Thursday, February 22, 2024, at the State Capitol in Pierre, SD

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Jack Dura/AP

This article originally appeared as part of NPR’s live coverage of the 2024 election. For more election coverage from NPR Network, visit our live updates page.

SIOUX FALLS, SD – South Dakota voters rejected an abortion rights amendment to the state constitution, according to an Associated Press call.

Anti-abortion groups called the proposal “too extreme.”

The constitutional amendment would have allowed abortion in the first trimester but allowed the state to regulate and restrict the procedure later in pregnancy.

More: South Dakota election results

The vote upholds one of the strictest abortion bans in the country. The only exception is to save the woman’s life. There are no exceptions for health reasons or for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest.

The law was enacted in 2005 as the so-called trigger law. State attempts to clarify the law have failed for some health professionals, who say the law remains unclear.

The abortion rights change did not gain the support of local ACLU and Planned Parenthood groups.

The campaign for the change was quiet until the final weeks before Election Day. A short-term cash infusion from a political action committee tied to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker helped bolster the campaign in the final days before the election.

Voters in South Dakota and Florida failed this week to pass constitutional amendments protecting abortion rights. Meanwhile, voters in Missouri, Colorado, New York and Maryland protected abortion rights.