The week at a glance...United States

United States

Bismarck, N.D.

Abortion law blocked: A federal judge this week temporarily blocked a North Dakota law that would have banned nearly all abortions in the state. Signed in March, the law made it illegal to perform an abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can occur as early as six weeks into pregnancy. U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland prevented the planned Aug. 1 implementation of what was considered one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country, ruling that the law was “a blatant violation of the constitutional guarantees afforded to all women.” His decision follows a similar federal injunction issued in May against an Arkansas law that banned abortions past 12 weeks into pregnancy. The Guttmacher Institute estimates that over the past three years, 180 new state-level abortion restrictions have been passed.

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