North Dakota Abortion Rule Blocked

Judge BLOCKS State From Enforcing Abortion Law

(ConservativeHub.com) – Since the US Supreme Court rendered its decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, multiple states have begun working to revive old laws made invalid by Roe v Wade. This effort has caused an onslaught of lawsuits challenging new state-level guidelines. North Dakota faced this situation, and a judge ruled to prevent the state’s abortion ban from going into effect on July 27.

The legislation would make the practice illegal, with exceptions occurring only if the mother’s life is in peril or if the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest. It was to become effective 30 days after the certification of Dobbs. But Red River Women’s Clinic filed a lawsuit in attempt to stop the implementation of the law.

Judge temporarily blocks North Dakota's 'trigger' ban on abortions https://t.co/Lu9bsqtE9s pic.twitter.com/fHYWP97f9x

— Reuters Legal (@ReutersLegal) July 28, 2022

The AG had to certify the US Supreme Court’s decision and restore the right of the legislature to ban abortion. The petitioners said Attorney General Drew Wrigley (R) did this on June 28, which was too early because 30 days hadn’t passed since the SCOTUS ruling. They claimed his misstep rendered the restoration of the law invalid.

Red River Women’s Clinic is the only active facility providing abortion services. The judge’s ruling against the attorney general allows the facility to remain open for now. However, Wrigley told The Hill he recertified the decision in Dobbs to comply with Romanick’s findings. The legislation will now become effective on August 26.

North Dakota is not the only state with abortion trigger laws facing legal challenges. Around the same time, a judge also temporarily halted an abortion law from going into effect in Wyoming. Other states such as Kentucky and Louisiana have also faced battles over their abortion laws recently.