A judge strikes down North Dakota’s abortion ban and rules that access is protected

Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A state judge has struck down North Dakota’s ban on abortion, saying that the state constitution creates a fundamental right to access abortion before a fetus is viable. The state no longer has any abortion clinics, but District Judge Bruce Romanick’s ruling Thursday would affect doctors in hospitals who believe abortions are necessary when pregnant patients face medical emergencies. State Attorney General Drew Wrigley promised to appeal and called the decision flawed. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by doctors and a clinic that was in Fargo but moved in 2022 to Minnesota. The judge said the law was too vague to be enforced fairly.