Federal judge strikes down North Dakota 'heartbeat' abortion law

[riky]

Federal judge strikes down North Dakota 'heartbeat' abortion law

(Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday permanently blocked North Dakota from enforcing the country's most restrictive abortion law, a ban on ending a pregnancy once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, as early as six weeks after conception. North Dakota's only abortion clinic had challenged the law approved by the state legislature in 2013, and U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland last July had temporarily blocked it from taking effect. "The state of North Dakota has presented no reliable medical evidence to justify the passage of this troubling law," Hovland wrote in a 25-page opinion released on Wednesday. Hovland said the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized the constitutional right of women to end a pregnancy before the fetus is determined to be viable for more than 40 years and the federal court is obligated to uphold that precedent.

Source: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login