Federal Court in North Dakota Strikes Down State’s Ban on Abortions After Six Weeks

A federal district court in North Dakota April 16 declared unconstitutional a state law that essentially would prohibit doctors from performing abortions six weeks after a woman’s last menstrual period, at a time when a fetal heartbeat is likely to be detected (MKB Mgmt. Corp. v. Burdick, D.N.D., 1:13-cv-00071-DLH-CSM, 4/16/14).

In an opinion by Judge Daniel L. Hovland, the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota said the law seeks to undo 40 years of abortion jurisprudence by banning abortions at a point when most experts agree a fetus isn’t viable.

The U.S. Supreme Court, ...