Judge Blocks North Dakota Abortion Restrictions

Law banned abortions as early as six weeks

A federal judge has temporarily blocked a recent North Dakota law that would ban abortions as early as six weeks – the earliest prohibition in the nation – calling the measure "clearly unconstitutional" and a "troubling law."

"The United States Supreme Court has unequivocally said that no state may deprive a woman of the choice to terminate her pregnancy at a point prior to viability. North Dakota House Bill 1456 is clearly unconstitutional under an unbroken stream of United States Supreme Court authority," Judge Daniel Hovland wrote in a 22-page ruling granting a preliminary injunction.