The North Dakota Supreme Court has ruled that a state abortion ban will remain blocked while a lawsuit over its constitutionality proceeds. The ruling came on Thursday. The ban was designed to take effect once the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. But a district judge had put it on hold this summer while the Red River Women’s Clinic pursued a lawsuit arguing the state constitution protected a right to an abortion. The law is one of many abortion-restricting measures passed by state legislatures in anticipation of the high court’s decision. It includes exceptions to save the life of the mother and in cases of rape or incest.
