North Dakota politicians should resist the urge to legislate private, medical decisions

“As our state legislative assembly convenes in Bismarck, I call on my district’s legislators and legislators across the state to focus on issues that are truly impacting North Dakotan’s daily lives, and to stay away from attempting to legislate private, medical decisions. A poll commissioned by the North Dakota News Cooperative, released in late November, shows that a majority of adults, 55%, oppose North Dakota’s abortion ban, and that support for the ban has slipped to 38%. North Dakota’s 2023 abortion ban (currently not in effect while going through the court process) is among one of the strictest in the U.S. It only allows exceptions for life-threatening cases and rape or incest up to six weeks, often before pregnancy is detected. This leaves survivors even more vulnerable and forces doctors to choose between medical ethics and legal compliance. Abortion bans – including the one here in North Dakota – are unpopular because they undermine personal autonomy, jeopardize health, and dismiss complex circumstances like rape or fetal anomalies. The freedom to make personal, private medical decisions is necessary to ensure the inalienable right to life, liberty and happiness. Abortion is a deeply personal decision that should stay between a patient and their provider, without intrusion by the government.”