North Dakota’s governor on Monday signed legislation banning nearly all abortions in the least populous state in North America.
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According to a statement from Republican Gov. Doug Bergham, “the law clarifies and refines existing state law,” which was applied by a June 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down the constitutional guarantee of abortion.
In fact, all abortions are now prohibited “from conception” in North Dakota, with a few exceptions, especially if the pregnancy poses serious risks to the mother’s health.
An exception is made up to six weeks of pregnancy due to rape or intercourse.
Convicts who may be the mother or doctor who performed the abortion or who sold the necessary drugs or equipment face up to five years in prison.
North Dakota, with a strong conservative majority, has a population of nearly 800,000.
As of June 2022, according to a ruling by the US Supreme Court, about fifteen states have banned abortion on their soil.
On April 13, the Florida Legislature passed a ban beyond six weeks of pregnancy, which the White House described as “extreme and dangerous.”
The Supreme Court ruled on Friday to allow access to the abortion pill, which is used in more than half of the country’s abortions, suspending restrictions imposed by lower courts and giving rights advocates a temporary reprieve.
The Supreme Court’s ruling means Americans can get the abortion pill, mifepristone, by mail in states where abortion is legal.
