A state district judge struck down North Dakota's abortion ban Thursday, saying that the state constitution creates a “fundamental right” to access abortion before a fetus is viable. "The Court concludes [the law] violates the Constitution of the State of North Dakota and is void for vagueness and of no effect," the order stated. The ruling stemmed from a request from the state to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a North Dakota clinic in 2022. Even though the judge’s ruling would make abortion legal in the meantime, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights, there are no longer any clinics performing abortions in North Dakota. North Dakota's ban prohibited abortion at all stages of pregnancy, except in the case of death or serious health risk.

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Persons: Bruce Romanick, —, Romanick, Roe, Wade Organizations: U.S, North, North Dakota Constitution, Republican, Center for Reproductive Rights Locations: of North Dakota, U.S ., North Dakota, Minnesota, North