North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed a new bill making abortions of fetuses with a heartbeat illegal. State lawmakers are trying to pass additional legislation that will ultimately lead to an abortion-free state.
Dalrymple signed a bill Tuesday that makes it illegal to abort if there is sign of a fetal heartbeat. A fetal heartbeat can be determined in as little as six weeks after a woman becomes pregnant.
In addition to the heartbeat law, the governor also signed a bill that prevents abortion for a reason concerning genetic defects. For example, a pregnancy may not be stopped because the child has Down syndrome.
The new laws are part of an attempt to close down the only abortion clinic, located in the entire state. The clinic is located in Fargo, North Dakota.
Those who defend the new law say it's a shot fired at the infamous Roe vs. Wade case, which legalized abortion from 22 to 24 weeks in the 1973.
Those who oppose the law guarantee a fight that the state will not be able to win.
Earlier in the month Arkansas passed its own abortion law. The new legislation issued a 12-week ban on abortions in which a fetal heartbeat was found. The fetal heartbeat must be found by using an abdominal ultra sound. The North Dakota law does not indicate by what means the heart beat must be found.
Women who have an abortion will not face criminal charges according to the new North Dakota law. However, if a doctor is convicted of breaking the law, he or she could face up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
North Dakota, led by a majority of Republican lawmakers, could be an abortion-free state by 2014. State Legislature drew up a resolution last week that, if passed, will define pregnancy as beginning at the point of conception. The resolution is expected to be voted on by November 2014.
