North Dakota governor affirms state’s near-total abortion ban

Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota has made a significant change to the state’s abortion ban, now prohibiting the procedure after six weeks. This move makes North Dakota one of the strictest states in the US when it comes to abortion laws. The bill was sponsored by Republican state Senator Janne Myrdal and passed easily through the Republican-dominated House and Senate chambers before being signed into law by Burgum.

The new law replaces the state’s 2007 trigger ban and 2013 “heartbeat bill,” which went into effect following the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Under the new law, the ban’s affirmative defenses are changed to exceptions, taking the legal burden off medical providers. The bill also redefines a “medical emergency” as a “serious health risk.”

While supporters of the bill believe it upholds pro-life values, Democrats and some Republicans oppose the six-week provision as insufficient for women and young girls who may be unaware they are pregnant after being raped. North Dakota now joins Georgia and Florida as the only other states with six-week bans.

However, the new law is likely to face legal challenges from Red River Women’s Clinic, North Dakota’s sole abortion provider. A state court temporarily blocked the state’s trigger law on July 27, 2022, and the state Supreme Court upheld the decision in a March ruling. Despite this, Burgum’s signature on the bill means it will immediately go into effect.

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