North Dakota bans abortion.

[Childless]

I say let them secede. See how far they get on their own without the U.S. military to defend them, landlocked, and no federal funding. It's almost as stupid as the Texas blowhards suggesting the same thing while bordering a country with out of control drug and gang violence. Idiots.

[pookel]

And while I'm not going to get into the actual issue(s) at hand, I can tell you that North Dakota politics are strange. A lot of people who live in North Dakota are just... different. There is a strong Norwegian population that tends to be isolationist, and focused on taking care of oneself. And I have noticed across a large range of issues, where they tend towards liberal or conservative - if they feel like it's being propelled or puppeted by outside factors - BOOM. It's over. That is especially in constitutional, population-voted matters. They generally do not like to feel like they are being told what to do by anyone else.

I live here too, and yes to all this. North Dakota is very different. In some ways, we're more open-minded and tolerant than the Bible Belt (I grew up in Oklahoma). People will vote down gay marriage because they don't like change, while simultaneously not caring that the guy next door is gay and living with his boyfriend. We have the lowest teen pregnancy rate of any "red state" in the nation, thanks to a long-standing progressive sex ed program in the schools. Most women work, and our farmwives would laugh you out of the state if you told them their job was to make babies and keep house - especially the large number of them who make long commutes to office jobs in the cities just to get health insurance for their families.

But those same farmwives will rant about "socialism" if you try to get a nationalized health care system going. It's very, very strange. It's a great place to live for my gay conservative friend who likes guns and low taxes and doesn't care if he has the right to get married as long as people aren't assholes to him ... but it's not so great if you're a woman who needs an abortion.

All that aside, I don't understand the point of passing this law. Can it even go into effect? It's a clear violation of Roe v. Wade.

[2xx1xy1JD]

Dear North Dakota:

You may not have noticed, but there is a country to the north of you. It's called Canada, and it has no abortion laws at all.

[Fargood]

There is a large contingent of North Dakota residents that are shocked and appalled at the direction this state is taking. Before everyone on this board starts telling the entire state to fuck off and die, please keep in mind that many live here that do not support and actively rail against these policies.

I've stated previously that North Dakota was targeted for this legislation by the right wingers precisely because of its large budget surplus. Here's an interview of one of the bill's sponsors admitting as much: http://youtu.be/-ZbF5kpunlU.

There are now three groups in the state working hard to unseat the three legislators who sponsored these ridiculous bills.

North Dakota's women need your support and encouragement during this time. The people who are most hurt by this legislation are poor, rural women who can't travel to Canada or Minneapolis to get an abortion when the Fargo clinic closes.

I agree with the previous poster who said sometimes North Dakota can just be "different." North Dakota has historically elected Democratic senators and reps. North Dakota's Scandinavian heritage cultivates a "live and let live" attitude, which to outsiders appears apathetic, but has resulted in some very pragmatic, sometimes socialist-leaning legislation. For example, last election, some idiot legislator proposed a voting measure to eliminate income and property taxes in ND, due to the State's large surplus. The voting populace overwhelmingly voted the measure down. We are also home to the only state-run bank in the entire country.

Telling North Dakota to just secede isn't helpful to the women of North Dakota who will inevitably be harmed by this awful and clearly unconstitutional legislation.

[Marianne]

I am very shocked. I don't understand how it can happen in a civilized country like America.

Several of my friends have had abortions when they were 15/16 years. They never said "this is a child, I don't have an abortion!" They have never needed to tell to their parents, they went to family planning and that was all. It was not traumatic for them ... I've never heard in my country it should be banned abortion, except in very very minority catholic movement. The worst was a woman politician who said governement had to stop abortion and she said some of abortions were "abortion comfort" ! And it was a big scandal. Maybe it is because that my country is very atheist and is not a federal country ? I do not know, but I'm really shocked to read that a politician in a country like America can do that. Yeah, I know some Republicans said that, but I did not think they were really elected ... It's horrible, really

I'm sorry if my post is useless or badly written or insulting or offensive I will erase it if it is, but it touches me many. I'm afraid of being pregnant in this moment and I was thinking about what I would do (I know Monday if I am or not) if I was pregnant and I read this article and it was a shock.

[Fargood]

inforum.com/event/article/id/394424/

What the fucking fuck, North Dakota?

North Dakota used to be a state full of pragmatic, realistic, hard-working people. Now, we've allowed ourselves to be tools for the right-wing nut jobs who only want to loot our state's coffers for their own jihad.

For the last five years, I've donated a not small sum of money to my alma mater. This year, Planned Parenthood will be getting my money.

Fuck you, Jack Dalrymple. I didn't fucking vote for you.

Edited for riffles.

[Destiny]

I was holding out hope for the governor to not sign the bill. Alas, hopes are dashed. I don't understand wasting this much money on a CLEARLY unconstitutional set of laws, but the women of ND are going to lose while this is fought out in court. :(