North Dakota Legislature Submits Personhood Amendment To Voters

The North Dakota Legislative Assembly gave final approval last week to a proposed "Personhood" amendment to the state constitution. Senate Concurrent Resolution 4009 provides:

The inalienable right to life of every human being at any stage of development must be recognized and protected.

State voters will be asked to vote on the amendment in the November 2014 general election. As reported by Policymic, this week Governor Jack Dalrymple also signed three other bills placing restrictions on abortions and, in the view of many, directly challenging Roe v. Wade. As described by the Fargo-Moorhead Forum, House Bill 1305 bans abortions performed solely for gender selection or genetic abnormalities; House Bill 1456 bans abortions if a fetal heartbeat is detected; and Senate Bill 2305 requires physicians who perform abortions to have admitting and staff privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the abortion facility.