North Dakota Attorney General certifies trigger laws that make abortion illegal in state

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Attorney General Drew Wrigley has certified North Dakota’s trigger laws that will effectively make abortion illegal in the state.

Under the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturned Roe v. Wade last Friday, the states regained the authority to regulate and prohibit abortion.

Tuesday, Wrigley activated two North Dakota laws, N.D.C.C. § 12.1-31-12 and N.D.C.C. § 14-02.1-04.2, that ban abortion, with exceptions for rape, incest, and preserving the life of the mother, and ban the dilation and evacuation abortion methods except in medical emergency.

The laws go into effect on July 28, 2022. It will fall to local state’s attorneys to prosecute abortion cases as a class C felony that carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.