North Dakota is restricting access to abortion through legislation

The North Dakota House of Representatives passed a bill restricting doctors from using tools to complete a procedure commonly used during second-trimester abortions. The procedure is called dilation and evacuation.

Except for in emergency cases, doctors caught performing the procedure would face a $5,000 fine and up to five years in prison. Women seeking or having the procedure would not face any litigation.

This law is the fourth in a line of laws that restrict access to abortions. Two bills have been passed by the North Dakota House. According to KFGO, the first bill urged judges to ignore Roy v. Wade. The bill claims that the famous court case overstepped its boundaries. The second bill asks Congress to ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The third bill would require doctors to inform patients after receiving a medically induced abortion that they could still have a live birth. This bill has been disputed by medical experts, including the American Medical Association.

North Dakota and 21 states have signed on with Alabama to fight the lower courts’ decision to block bills banning “dismemberment abortions,” according to AL.com. Bills restricting abortion have manifested in many states, including the “Heartbeat bill,” which would ban an abortion after a heartbeat is detected.

“If we see that this is a human being, then to go in there and perform this kind of procedure is barbaric.” 

Emma Twedt, NDSU Collegians For Life

This type of legislation is a victory for Twedt who said if the actual dilation and evacuation procedure is looked at it would not be seen as a run of the mill medical procedure. “If we see that this is a human being, then to go in there and perform this kind of procedure is barbaric,” Twedt said.

“If a woman is at 20 weeks and doesn’t feel prepared to mother, then I think we should certainly not force her to be a parent for the next 18 years, but provide her with alternatives,” Twedt said. She also mentioned that there are many good adoption centers in Fargo.

These restrictions are gaining traction in many states, and Twedt said this momentum could be due to technology. “I think people are becoming more aware of what’s going on,” Twedt said. “(With) the leaps and bounds that have taken place in terms of imaging, ultrasound, I think people are able to see the humanity of that child more clearly now.”

Twedt said she recognizes that people don’t get abortions without duress in their life. “I think that in the event where abortions are restricted (…) that it’s also important for those in the pro-life movement to step up and help the people in those situations.”

Making help available for new mothers might help show that abortion is not the only path, according to Twedt. “I can choose life for my child. I could give my child to another family through adoption. Also, too then we can stop by them and help them through those situations rather than saying we passed our legislation, our work here is done.”