Republican North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum signed a partial abortion ban in the state on Monday.
The law would ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, making it one of the strictest abortion restrictions in the U.S. It also does not provide exceptions in the case of rape or incest.
JUST IN: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) signed a bill that would ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, making it one of the strictest abortion restrictions in the country. The law does not provide exceptions in the case of rape or incest. https://t.co/oJvNTVwecY
— The Hill (@thehill) April 24, 2023
“This bill clarifies and refines existing state law … and reaffirms North Dakota as a pro-life state,” Burgum said in a statement during the signing.
The state legislature overwhelmingly approved the bill, with the House passing it 76-14 and the Senate approving it 42-5.
“North Dakota has always been pro-life and believed in valuing the moms and children both,” Republican state Sen. Janne Myrdal, the lead sponsor of the measure, told The Associated Press after the governor signed the bill. “We’re pretty happy and grateful that the governor stands with that value.”
The Associated Press noted that the bill will go into effect immediately after being signed, but the state’s current abortion ban is on hold pending a decision from the North Dakota Supreme Court.
This state law comes as the national right to abortion is no more in the wake of the controversial “Roe v. Wade” case being overturned last year.
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also signed a bill banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy last month. DeSantis signed a 15-week ban last year, but it has been challenged in court by various parties. The court’s decision about the earlier ban matter would determine how long the current six-week ban would last.
Abortion debates will now take place in state legislatures rather than in Congress or before the Supreme Court because there is no longer a universal right to the procedure. Top lawmakers from eight states were recently gathered by White House officials to discuss pending legislation.
Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris blasted Republican lawmakers for rolling back abortion rights.
“Can we truly be free if families cannot make intimate decisions about the course of their own lives?” Harris asked. “And can we truly be free if so-called leaders claim to be quote, I quote, ‘on the vanguard of freedom’ while they dare to restrict the rights of the American people and attack the very foundations of freedom?”
