Washington, United States (AFP) — The governor of North Dakota on Monday signed into law a bill that bans almost all abortions in the sparsely populated Midwest US state.
Republican Governor Doug Burgum said in a statement that “this bill clarifies and refines existing state law” whose application was triggered last year when the conservative-dominated Supreme Court overturned federal guarantees to abortion access.
Burgum said the new law, which takes effect immediately, “reaffirms North Dakota as a pro-life state.”
Any abortion is now prohibited in North Dakota from conception with only a few exceptions, in particular if the pregnancy poses serious risks to the health of the mother.
An exception is also provided if the pregnancy results from a case of rape or incest, but only if the embryo is six or less weeks old, when many women do not realize they are pregnant.
North Dakota, with a strong conservative majority, has nearly 800,000 residents. Since the Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision, around 15 states have banned abortion.
On April 13, the Florida legislature banned the procedure beyond six weeks of pregnancy, a law described as “extreme and dangerous” by the White House — although the measure has not yet gone into effect while the state’s Supreme Court reviews its abortion laws.
The US Supreme Court last Friday ruled to maintain access for the time being to an abortion pill used for more than half of abortions in the country, suspending restrictions ordered by lower courts and offering temporary respite to abortion rights advocates.
