Who Said Those Pro-Life Bills Were A Waste Of Time?

When the North Dakota legislature passed a slew of pro-life bills last year, the opposition said they were a waste of time. They’d be struck down in court quickly. They wouldn’t make any difference. That included legislation which required abortion doctors working in North Dakota to have admitting privileges at a North Dakota hospital, something a Fargo judge granted an injunction against saying it probably put unconstitutional burdens on the “right” to an abortion.

None of this turned out to be true. The Red River Women’s Clinic managed to obtain admitting privileges for their doctors with little problem (Sanford Health helped them out), and their lawsuit against the aforementioned law has been rendered moot:

“Because the grounds for suing the state no longer exist, that case is now moot,” Stenehjem’s statement said.

The state and Red River Women’s Clinic have an agreement requiring the clinic’s doctors to have admitting privileges at a local hospital as long as the law remains in effect.

The agreement also requires any additional physician who performs abortions at the clinic in the future to obtain admitting privileges at a local hospital.

The North Dakota Supreme Court still has the case – they heard oral arguments back in December and have yet to rule – but it’s hard to imagine the plaintiffs winning when their case was built on their alleged inability to do something they’ve now done.