Judge puts hold on ND trigger law banning abortion

Update 5:25 PM:

Abortion bans set to take effect this week in Wyoming and North Dakota were temporarily blocked Wednesday by judges in those states amid lawsuits arguing that the bans violate their state constitutions. North Dakota’s latest court action puts it among several states including Wyoming, Kentucky, Louisiana and Utah where judges have temporarily blocked implementation of “trigger laws” while lawsuits play out. The Wyoming law was set to take effect Wednesday. The North Dakota law was set to take effect Thursday. Both developments occurred as hundreds protested an abortion ban bill that advanced in the West Virginia Legislature.

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Original post:

A North Dakota judge has put on hold the state’s trigger law banning abortion pending resolution of a lawsuit that argues the law violates the state constitution. Burleigh County District Judge Bruce Romanick ruled in a lawsuit brought by Red River Women’s Clinic in Fargo, the state’s only abortion clinic. The ban was set to take effect on July 28. The clinic argues that the North Dakota Constitution guarantees the rights of life, liberty, safety, and happiness, all of which protect the right to abortion. The state Supreme Court has previously ruled that the constitution does not offer protection for abortion.