By:
Marissa Dooley
North Dakota is a state that has generally
been viewed as a state with strict regulations when it comes to abortion.
Lawmakers are now considering the idea of outlawing all abortions throughout
the entire state. They have been proposing many Personhood measures. These
proposals state that human life begins at conception and that once a baby is
conceived its life cannot be taken. However, it has been argued by some medical
professionals that abortion should be allowed if the mother will be harmed from
the pregnancy.
North Dakota has been a
republican controlled state for a very long time. The presence of the GOP is
widely known in the state and shows through their legislation on a daily basis.
Last month the senate in North Dakota passed two personhood measures which the
senate will vote on Tuesday March 19th at the earliest. The two
measures both deal with abortion. The first dealing with the law that will
outlaw all abortions and the latter will put a definition of the measure into
the state constitution of North Dakota.
In addition to all of the
political attention that this issue has brought about, there has been lots of
talk about this issue in the medical field. Many doctors have become concerned
that the laws are two strict and that they will restrict their ability to
practice in the state of North Dakota. Dr. Stephanie Dahl says that proposed
laws could restrict doctors from performing invitro fertilization which could
cause many doctors to leave the state. Dr. Dahl says that doctors will have to
choose to leave the state or face the possible criminal penalties if these new
restrictions pass in the senate. Dr. Dahl has attended many conferences with
physicians against these new laws and has said, "This is something that would affect the
patient and doctor relationship and that's somewhere we want to keep the
government out of."
There have been many prominent
figures in the state of North Dakota that have taken a strong opinion on this
issue. Fargo Republican Spencer Berry and Bismarck Republican Ralph Kilzer have openly stated that they have voted in favor of passing
these bills in the state house. In addition, many people from an organization
named Personhood USA, which is an anti-abortion group, have openly spoken in
favor of these bills being passed. On the contrary, the North Dakota Medical
Association has strongly spoken against these proposed bills. There was also a
group of students from the University of North Dakota Medical School that sent
a letter to the senate about their negative opinions on these bills.
Quote
"It is impossible to further the common
good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which all the
other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they
develop. A society lacks solid foundations when, on the one hand, it
asserts values such as the dignity of the person, justice and peace, but then,
on the other hand, radically acts to the contrary by allowing or tolerating a
variety of ways in which human life is devalued and violated, especially where
it is weak or marginalized. Only respect for life can be the foundation
and guarantee of the most precious and essential goods of society, such as
democracy and peace."
- Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae (1995). No. 101
Questions to think about?
1.
Would you support this bill? Why or why
not?
2.
Do you think the passing of this bill
would have any effect on the economy of North Dakota?
3.
Using the info we received in class
about supporters of political parties, do you think that there is potential for
these bills to pass in a predominately republican state?
4.
Is the passage of these bills
overstepping the role of the government in the United States?
Sources
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