CRACKDOWN

North Dakota Governor Signs One of the Country’s Strictest Abortion Bans Into Law

Only a handful of exceptions will be permitted during the first six weeks of pregnancy.

North Dakota on Monday adopted one of the strictest abortion bans in the U.S. as Gov. Doug Burgum signed the new measures into law. The ban makes exceptions for victims of rape and incest during the first six weeks of pregnancy, and also allows doctors to carry out an abortion to save the mother’s life or if her health is at serious risk. But rape and incest victims will be made to carry their pregnancies to term unless “the probable gestational age of the unborn child is six weeks or less.” “This bill clarifies and refines existing state law which was triggered into effect by the (U.S. Supreme Court) Dobbs decision and reaffirms North Dakota as a pro-life state,” Burgum said in a statement.