Judge puts hold on North Dakota trigger law banning abortion

FARGO, N.D. (AP) – A North Dakota judge has put on hold the state’s trigger law banning abortion pending resolution of a lawsuit that argues the law violates the state constitution.

Burleigh County District Judge Bruce Romanick ruled in a lawsuit brought by Red River Women’s Clinic in Fargo, the state’s only abortion clinic. The ban was set to take effect on July 28.

The clinic argues that the North Dakota Constitution guarantees the rights of life, liberty, safety, and happiness, all of which protect the right to abortion.

The state Supreme Court has previously ruled that the constitution does not offer protection for abortion.