North Dakota bishops decry judge’s abortion ruling
July 22, 2013
A North Dakota district judge has declared abortion a fundamental constitutional right.
Ruling that a state ban on a drug used in abortions is unconstitutional, Judge Wickham Corwin linked abortion to the rights to liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
“Autonomy and self-determination becomes [sic] unachievable if women are deprived of the right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy,” wrote Judge Corwin, who is under investigation for sexual harassment.
In a statement following the ruling, Bishop David Kagan of Bismarck and Bishop John Folda of Fargo said that “a lone judge sitting in Fargo has declared that the North Dakota Constitution makes abortion a ‘fundamental’ right subject to practically no limitations.”
“In fact, the right ‘found’ by Judge Wickham Corwin is more expansive than that used by the U.S. Supreme Court,” they added.
“This case is not just about drug-induced abortions,” the bishops continued. “At stake from this ruling are all of the state’s pro-life and pro-women laws, such as parental notification, health and safety requirements, and conscience protection for health care providers.”
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Further information:
- State’s Catholic Bishops Decry Expansive Abortion Ruling (North Dakota Catholic Conference)
- ND Judge: 2011 Abortion Law Unconstitutional (AP)
- Judge Wickham Corwin's disciplinary hearing concludes (WDAY-TV)
- Full text of decision
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