Statement of the North Dakota Catholic Conference on Court Decision

September 12, 2024

The North Dakota Catholic Conference is shocked and greatly disturbed by the trial court’s radical decision to strike down North Dakota’s abortion law.

The current law protects unborn children from abortion and provides exceptions for pregnant women facing death or serious health risks. The exceptions were drafted with input and approval from the state’s medical and hospital associations. The court has now thrown out this carefully balanced law with a decision that consists almost entirely of personal opinions and antiquated legal theories.

North Dakotans should take notice of the radically extreme position advanced in this decision. The opinion, if upheld, would mean North Dakotans could not enact any reasonable limitations or regulations on abortions before viability. The decision would push North Dakota into a place it has never been before, where abortion on demand is allowed at any stage of pregnancy without exception. It throws out fifty years of common-sense pro-life legislation consistently supported by North Dakotans and embraces a position more radical and liberal than Roe v Wade itself.

We pray that the North Dakota Supreme Court eventually rejects this decision. In the meantime, we urge all North Dakotans to continue working at making our state a sanctuary for life.