Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

Judges temporarily block North Dakota, Wyoming 'trigger' bans on abortions

Published 07/27/2022, 07:16 PM
Updated 07/27/2022, 09:55 PM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Pro-choice and anti-abortion both demonstrate outside the United States Supreme Court as the court hears arguments over a challenge to a Texas law that bans abortion after six weeks in Washington, U.S., November 1, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockste

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Pro-choice and anti-abortion both demonstrate outside the United States Supreme Court as the court hears arguments over a challenge to a Texas law that bans abortion after six weeks in Washington, U.S., November 1, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockste

(Reuters) -Judges in North Dakota and Wyoming on Wednesday blocked enforcement of "trigger" bans on abortions, allowing abortion providers in those states to resume services after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a landmark ruling that established the constitutional right to abortion.

Those two states join others including Kentucky, Louisiana and Utah where judges have blocked abortion bans, providing at least a temporary victory for abortion rights advocates following their defeat at the federal level.

The U.S. Supreme Court on June 24 overturned the nearly 50-year precedent under Roe v. Wade and allowed states to prevent women from terminating their pregnancies, promoting a flurry of litigation in state courts.

In the North Dakota ruling, Red River Women's Clinic, the last abortion clinic in that state, can resume abortion care as the case proceeds in Burleigh County District Court.

Lawmakers in North Dakota in 2007 put in place the so-called "trigger" law intended to take effect if the high court reversed its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed access to abortion in the United States.

Judge Bruce Romanick issued the temporary injunction in favor of the abortion clinic in response to a suit filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights; Weil, Gotshal & Manges; and Dickson Law Office.

The Red River clinic contends the law violates its patients' rights to life, safety and happiness under the state constitution.

"If allowed to go into effect, this near-total abortion ban would close the state's sole abortion clinic, leaving North Dakotans with no clinic within the state to turn for essential health care," Meetra Mehdizadeh of the Center for Reproductive Rights said in a statement.

The near-total ban bars pregnancies from being terminated in most cases, with exceptions for cases of rape, incest or to protect a pregnant woman's life. It also makes it a felony for doctors to perform the procedure.

North Dakota is one of 13 states with trigger laws that were set to take effect if Roe were reversed.

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Pro-choice and anti-abortion both demonstrate outside the United States Supreme Court as the court hears arguments over a challenge to a Texas law that bans abortion after six weeks in Washington, U.S., November 1, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo

Another of those states is Wyoming, where Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens issued a temporary restraining order to stop the abortion ban from taking effect.

"Today's ruling, while only a temporary victory, ensures that abortion care remains legal in Wyoming for the time being," Julie Burkhart, founder and president of Wellspring Health Access, which brought the suit, said in a statement.

Latest comments

this abortion policy is a drama to hide economic, political failures
Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.