North Dakota Approves Abortion Ban

North Dakota became the country’s most restrictive state on abortion rights Tuesday, approving a ban on the procedure as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Gov. Jack Dalyrmple signed the new legislation, in addition to another measure that makes North Dakota the first state to ban abortions based on genetic defects like Down syndrome. The measures are partly an attempt to close the state’s sole abortion clinic in Fargo, but State Rep. Kathy Hawken (R-Fargo) is leading the charge against them. “I’m personally pro-choice, but you can’t make that decision for anyone else,” she said. In an article on The Daily Beast, Hawken slammed her state for being “poised to win the state-by-state race to the bottom on women’s health.”