Federal judge blocks North Dakota fetal heartbeat abortion law

The ban would prevent abortions in that state after a fetal heartbeat could be detected -- as early as six weeks into pregnancy, in some cases.

Los Angeles Times: Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks North Dakota Abortion Law
Under the law, which had been scheduled to go into effect Aug. 1, a woman could be prevented from seeking an abortion as early as six weeks into her pregnancy if a fetal heartbeat is detected. North Dakota passed the law at the end of March, part of a package of curbs in four laws that passed the Republican-controlled Legislature and were signed by GOP Gov. Jack Dalrymple (Muskal, 7/22).

Politico: Federal Judge Blocks North Dakota's Six-Week Abortion Ban
A federal judge has temporarily blocked a recent North Dakota law that would ban abortions as early as six weeks -- the earliest prohibition in the nation -- calling the measure "clearly unconstitutional" and a "troubling law" (Cheney, 7/22).

Reuters: Federal Judge Halts New North Dakota Abortion Law, For Now 
A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked North Dakota's new abortion law, the most restrictive in the country because it prohibits ending a pregnancy once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which can be as early as six weeks after conception. Banning abortions as early as six weeks, or before fetal viability between 24 and 26 weeks of gestation, would bar nearly 90 percent of the abortions performed at the Red River Women's Clinic, the state's only abortion clinic, said its director, Tammi Kromenaker (O'Brien, 7/22).

CNN: Judge Blocks North Dakota's Restrictive Abortion Law
One of the most restrictive abortion laws in the U.S. was temporarily blocked from enforcement after a federal judge said Monday that North Dakota's pre-viability provisions were "invalid and unconstitutional." The state legislature had passed a law that would ban an abortion when a fetal heartbeat was detected–sometimes as early as six weeks into pregnancy. The legislation was set to go into effect August 1, but Judge Daniel Hovland granted a temporary injunction, after a Fargo women's clinic filed a lawsuit last month (7/22).