The state of North Dakota has drastically tightened restrictions on abortions performed in that state, set to enact a law that some are calling “the most extreme in the nation.”
According to a Senate bill that has reached Governor Jack Dalrymple’s desk, except when a medical emergency exists that prevents compliance, an individual may not perform an abortion on a pregnant woman before determining, in accordance with standard medical practice, if the unborn child the pregnant woman is carrying has a detectable heartbeat.
The law states that if a physician performs an abortion on a pregnant woman before determining if the unborn child the pregnant woman is carrying has a detectable heartbeat, that physician is subject to disciplinary action and guilty of a felony.
The legislature at this time has the votes to override a potential veto.