Reaction among North Dakotans and North Dakota organizations to the news effectively ending Roe v. Wade has been quick and varied:
Bismarck Diocese: “Today marks the end of what can only be described as an almost 50-year national nightmare and tragedy. This decision ends the supreme injustice of the flawed Roe v. Wade decision. It, again, gives state and federal officials the ability to protect children in the womb in the law. I urge state and federal officials to take this opportunity to enact laws which protect the child in the womb and support pregnant and parenting mothers. The Catholic Church has been praying and working tirelessly for this decision. We offer our gratitude to God and to all who have and continue to pray and work for the respect every human being deserves from conception to natural death and must have under the law.”
North Dakota Catholic Conference: “The North Dakota Catholic Conference rejoices that the United State Supreme Court has remedied a grave injustice that for too long prevented states from becoming sanctuaries for life. We believe that North Dakota should be a welcoming community. But when it came to welcoming and protecting the unborn, our hands were tied for fifty years by a deeply flawed legal decision. … We cannot, however, rest with overturning Roe and legally protecting unborn life. Building a culture of life means making abortion unthinkable. This will require all parts of society to reexamine and address what they can do so that no woman ever feels that the death of her child is the answer to any situation. Businesses, families, churches, charities, and governments must support and implement policies and practices that are pro-family, pro-woman, and pro-child. The State of North Dakota should, at a minimum, double funding for the Alternatives to Abortion program and expand it to include more services and more children, born and unborn.”
Planned Parenthood North Central States (includes ND): “The U.S. Supreme Court decision is wrong and will harm millions of people. This decision is an unconscionable rollback of fundamental rights for all people in the United States. Because people’s right to access abortion is no longer guaranteed by federal law, it now depends on where you live and how much money you have to travel out of state for abortion care. Forced pregnancy is a grave violation of human rights and dignity. We have been preparing for months to be able to best serve patients across our region. Our doors are open and Planned Parenthood is committed to providing abortion care where it remains legal.”
Gov. Doug Burgum: “Today’s landmark Supreme Court decision returns power to the states where it belongs. Our administration has consistently supported pro-life legislation and this decision is a victory for the many North Dakotans who have fought so hard and for so long to protect the unborn in our state. We will now work diligently with the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office to fulfill our constitutional duty by carrying out the 2007 legislation that is triggered by the overturning of Roe v. Wade. We must now turn to prioritizing women’s health, including expectant mothers and children in need.”
ND Attorney General Drew Wrigley: “The United States Supreme Court has determined that the federal constitution leaves with States the authority to craft and enact laws defining abortion practices. The ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization shifts abortion regulation away from the courts and onto the shoulders of the people’s elected representatives in the 50 state legislatures. This office is evaluating the Dobbs opinion in every detail and will give careful consideration to its impact on North Dakota’s abortion laws. By statute, this office has thirty days within which to certify whether the Dobbs decision gives effect to current North Dakota abortion laws that conflicted with previous United States Supreme Court decisions.”
U.S. Senator Kevin Kramer: “This ruling from the Supreme Court is a win for life and states’ rights. It is one of the most consequential decisions in my lifetime. In the last 50 years since the Roe v. Wade decision, millions of helpless babies have been murdered. Countless lives will now be saved and the fundamental principle of federalism is restored. This ruling reaffirms the tradition of the State of North Dakota to protect every human life whether unborn or aged, healthy or sick, and I am heartened the majority of the Supreme Court agrees.”
U.S. Senator John Hoeven: “The Supreme Court’s decision respects the sanctity of life and rightfully denies that the Constitution provided a right to abortion. The ruling is consistent with my work as Governor of North Dakota and in the Senate to advance pro-life legislation and support policies that protect the health of mothers and children. At the same time, this is a historic ruling for both life and states’ rights, and we will continue working to protect the unborn and preserve the sanctity of life.”
U.S. Senate Candidate Katrina Christiansen: “Overturning Roe v Wade and Casey is jarring for the nation as it has every appearance of legislating from the bench in order to take the right to self-determination in health care decisions away from women. The court’s ruling means that states can continue to limit a woman’s access to medical care. This is not a resolution. This is not justice. This is meant to restrict women’s rights under a set of religious beliefs paraded as constitutional. In 2007, the legislature voted to criminalize abortion care in House bill 1466. This trigger ban will end safe abortions and place the government in your doctor’s offices. … We have work to do. Women will die as a result of this.”
U.S. Congressman Kelly Armstrong: “The Supreme Court’s decision is a victory for life. The power to protect the unborn should be left to the people and their elected state representatives. I am proud to defend the right to life and liberty for every American, born and unborn. As we celebrate today’s decision, we must recommit to upholding the sanctity of life for all.”
U.S. Congressional Candidate Mark Haugen: “The U.S. Supreme Court has announced its decision in Dobbs vs. Jackson. As we now move forward as a country, let us with compassion work for peace and the strengthening of our commitment to the most vulnerable in society. I will continue to advocate for policy that supports the family and the dignity of human life in all stages.”
ND GOP: “Today’s historic Supreme Court ruling is a truly incredible victory for the rights of the unborn and all Americans who care deeply about the sanctity of life. I want to particularly thank the passionate pro-life defenders who have fought tirelessly to protect the sanctity of life over the past 50 years. Our voices were finally heard, and now so will those of the unborn. From the bottom of my heart, thank you and God bless you.”
Rep. Karla Rose Hanson (Fargo, Dem-NPL): “By rolling back abortion rights at the federal level, the court is giving state legislatures the power to determine a pregnant person’s rights. Many states, including North Dakota, will immediately curtail these rights. Such extreme abortion restrictions are yet another example of Republican overreach. People should be able to make deeply personal decisions about when and whether to have a family without interference from lawmakers.”
Megan Edwardson, ND House candidate (Fargo, Dem-NPL): “A woman’s right to choose has been legal precedent since 1973 and overturning its decision is detrimental to women’s healthcare. A woman’s decision on abortion should always be between her and her doctor, and I will fight for policies that support a woman’s right to choose, always.”
Lillian Jones, ND House candidate (Fargo, Dem-NPL): “I know what it’s like not to have a choice. Not to have a choice when you are victimized; as a child, a young girl, a young woman and as an adult. I am the survivor of incest and rape. I know what it’s like to fight against my assailants and be left defeated, broken, ashamed and powerless. I know the shock and pain of losing an unexpected child to miscarriage, to endure a procedure for the preservation of my life, and I know the isolation it all leaves behind. … All the trigger-laws that will fall in line with such an act pulls me into moments of silent prayer for women and girls.”
Rep. Zac Ista (Grand Forks, Dem-NPL): “Women should make their own decisions about what healthcare is best for them. That’s their right. But today’s Supreme Court decision lets politicians in Bismarck and Washington interfere with these private healthcare decisions. I believe that’s wrong, and I will stand against efforts to further erode our fundamental rights here in North Dakota.”
Sen. Tracy Potter (Bismarck, Dem-NPL): “I remember when abortion was illegal. It still happened. Passing a law does end abortion. It just makes wealthier women travel out of states or to another country for safe, private health care while poor women resort to unsafe procedures because it is illegal.”