“A civil society does not discriminate against people – born and unborn – for their sex or for disability.
We should be celebrating diversity, not destroying it,” said AUL’s Dr. Charmaine Yoest.
“This historic law creates real protections for all our citizens.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. (03-26-2013) – Americans United for Life President and CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest praised Rep. Bette Grande for championing a bill signed today into law by North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple, making that state the first in the nation to ban sex-selection abortions AND abortions for genetic abnormalities. The law is based on AUL-model legislation and makes North Dakota the fifth state to ban the sexist practice of ending a child’s life based on its sex. But importantly, North Dakota becomes the first state to end the practice of destroying unborn life based on potential genetic abnormalities.
“A civil society does not discriminate against people – born and unborn – for their sex or for disability. We should be celebrating diversity, not destroying it,” said Dr. Yoest. “Women in particular have been targeted for death in the womb, and we’ve also seen dramatic abortion rates for children with disabilities which put them at risk for extinction. Gov. Jack Dalrymple, Rep. Bette Grande and the legislators in North Dakota have shown courageous humanity in passing this legislation.”
North Dakota House Bill (HB) 1305, sponsored by Rep. Grande, serves essential public interests by prohibiting both sex-selection abortion and abortion for genetic abnormalities. Sex-selection abortion is gender-based violence generally targeted toward females. Likewise, abortion performed solely because of genetic abnormalities is discriminatory and devalues the lives of the disabled.
While federal and state laws protect women and the disabled from discrimination, the unborn are not similarly protected. HB 1305 cures this deficiency in the law and ensures protection for unborn children who are targeted for death solely because of their sex or genetic abnormalities. The other states that ban sex-selective abortions are Arizona, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania.
For more information on AUL’s model legislation, released annually in Defending Life, click here.
