North Dakota’s strict abortion laws are history. But the fight for reproductive rights is far from over.
Bismarck – In the conservative US state of North Dakota, a judge has declared the strict abortion law, which prohibits almost all abortions, invalid. Judge Bruce Romanick justified his decision on Thursday, September 12, by saying that the law was “confusing and vague” and violated the constitution.
Romanick explained that the law, as currently drafted, could significantly limit the willingness of medical professionals to perform abortions, even though the North Dakota Supreme Court has already ruled that “a fundamental right to an abortion exists to protect a woman’s life or health.”
Before the 2024 US election – North Dakota bans abortions with few exceptions
The law, which punishes doctors for abortion with up to five years in prison, was passed in April 2023 by Doug Burgum, the Republican governor of the northern state. It provides only a few exceptions, for example when the mother’s life is in danger or in cases of rape or incest. However, even in these cases, abortions are prohibited from the sixth week of pregnancy.
An abortion clinic in North Dakota filed a lawsuit against this strict rule, which allows exceptions in only a few cases. Drew Wrigley, the Republican Attorney General, announced that he would appeal the court’s decision. The outcome of the case is still uncertain.
USA repeals Roe vs. Wade: Abortion jurisdiction now lies with the states
North Dakota, with a population of around 800,000 people, is among about 20 U.S. states that have banned or severely restricted abortion. This happened after the Supreme Court in June 2022 ruled Landmark ruling Roe v. Wade This ruling had guaranteed women in the USA the right to abortion for almost 50 years. Since then, responsibility for abortion law has been with the individual states.
Things are getting exciting in the US election campaign
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Meetra Mehdizadeh, a lawyer from the Center for Reproductive Rights, called the North Dakota ruling “a victory for reproductive rights.” However, she criticized the fact that the damage caused by the ban cannot be “repaired overnight.” There are hardly any clinics left in North Dakota that perform abortions – the last abortion clinic has moved to the neighboring state of Minnesota. (so with dpa)
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