North Dakota: Life starts at conception

North Dakota lawmakers passed a bill today that would effectively end abortion in the state. The statute affirms life begins at conception. It passed the House 57-35. Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple hasn’t said whether he will approve or veto the bill.

Dubbed the "personhood bill," SCR-4009 recognizes that “the inalienable right to life of every human being at any stage of development must be recognized and protected.” It’s one of several anti-abortion measures the state legislature passed this year, to the chagrin of pro-abortionists. They claim the measures violate the U.S. Constitution.

But a head-on legal showdown is exactly what Republican state Sen. Margaret Sitte, the bill's sponsor, is hoping for. “We are intending that it be a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, since Scalia said that the Supreme Court is waiting for states to raise a case,” she told LifeNews after the personhood bill passed the Senate.

Anti-abortion legislation has had strong momentum in North Dakota this year. Before passing the personhood bill, the legislature also passed bans on abortion once doctors detect a heartbeat, once a fetus can feel pain (at 20 weeks), or because of genetic defects such as Down syndrome. North Dakota now has the strictest anti-abortion laws in the nation.

Penny Nance, president of Concerned Women for America, expressed support: "We applaud North Dakota for defending life. The bills in North Dakota protect the lives of the most innocent Americans, those without a voice, in the womb.”

But pro-abortionists claim that outlawing abortions not only violates a woman’s right to choose but will only lead to an increase in illegal, dangerous procedures. They have pledged to fight in court if Dalrymple signs any of these bills into law.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.