WASHINGTON — North Dakota has enacted precedent-setting laws to protect unborn children. Gov. Jack Dalrymple, a Republican, signed into law March 26 three bills restricting abortion, including two that establish new pro-life milestones:
The earliest state abortion ban, one based on an unborn child’s heartbeat, which could be as soon as six weeks into gestation;
The first state law to prohibit abortion on the basis of a genetic irregularity in the unborn baby. This includes sex-selection.
In addition, the North Dakota House of Representatives approved March 22 a personhood amendment, making the state legislature the first in the country to pass such a measure, which would protect life at every stage of development, including in the womb. The Senate already had endorsed the proposal. The amendment will go next to the state’s voters without approval by the governor to decide whether it will be added to the state constitution.
The third abortion restriction signed by Dalrymple requires an abortion doctor to be licensed by the state and have admitting as well as staff privileges at a local hospital.
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