Former location of Red River Women's Clinic in Fargo (KFGO News)
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFGO) – The only abortion provider in North Dakota, Red River Women’s Clinic in Fargo, has filed a lawsuit in state court seeking to block enforcement of the state’s trigger ban, which would prohibit nearly all abortions in the state now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned. Attorney General Drew Wrigley has said the trigger ban will take effect on July 28.
In the lawsuit, filed in Burleigh County District Court, Red River Women’s Clinic and its medical director Dr. Kathryn Eggleston, argue that the trigger ban is unconstitutional under the North Dakota Constitution. Under the state constitution, North Dakotans are guaranteed the rights of life, liberty, safety, and happiness, all of which protect the right to abortion, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also disputes the trigger ban’s effective date. North Dakota’s trigger ban is designed to take effect 30 days after the attorney general certifies a Supreme Court judgment which would allow states to prohibit abortion. While the Supreme Court issued an opinion overturning Roe on June 24 in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, it has not yet issued its judgment, which is a separate order typically issued at least 25 days or longer after the opinion.
“The Supreme Court may have abandoned its duty to protect our fundamental rights, but the fight is far from over,” said Nancy Northup, President & CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. “We are standing by North Dakotans to protect their right to essential health care, and to keep this last clinic open for as long as we can. We are determined to fight state by state and law by law to preserve abortion access wherever we can.”
“We have faced relentless attacks from North Dakota lawmakers who have long wanted us gone. But we will fight this draconian ban like the other outrageous bans and restrictions that came before it,” said Tammi Kromenaker, Director of Red River Women’s Clinic. “In the meantime, we will keep our doors open to provide abortion care to patients who need us. Being the last remaining abortion clinic in the state, our patients already have to travel long distances just to reach us. Our patients deserve the right to access essential health care if and when they need it regardless of zip code.”
The lawsuit was filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, and Tom Dickson of Dickson Law Office on behalf of Red River Women’s Clinic and its medical director Dr. Kathryn Eggleston.
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