BISMARCK, N.D. – The state appeals court ruled that the North Dakota abortion ban must remain on a backburner – unenforced – until a full review by the state Supreme Court. Anti-abortionists had wanted the ban, passed by the 2023 Legislature, to be enforced while they pursued an appeal on constitutional grounds. The three-judge appellate said it was unwilling to reverse a lower court judge who had found the ban constitutionally flawed.
NoDak abortion status
Anticipating anti-abortion legislation, the only North Dakota abortion provider, Red River Women’s Clinic, moved out of Fargo in 2022 and relocated across the state line in friendlier Minnesota. Meanwhile, several North Dakota physicians joined with women’s health advocates and organized against the restrictive 2023 law. The law allows abortion only at a hospital and only for life-preserving or health-preserving reasons.