Gender Justice Applauds Introduction of Bills Defending North Dakotans’ Right to IVF and Contraception

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 28, 2024

CONTACT
Noah Parrish, Communications Director
[email protected]
651-432-0171

Today Rep. Karla Rose Hanson introduced two bills designed to advance reproductive freedom by protecting North Dakotans’ rights and access to contraception and fertility services. The legislation would ensure that North Dakotans can access a full range of birth control and fertility options without unnecessary barriers, and ensure health care providers can offer these critical services without government interference.

Christina Sambor, North Dakota state director at Gender Justice, issued the following statement:

“It may surprise people to learn that the groups and politicians working to completely ban abortion are now also seeking to ban access to birth control and fertility assistance. That’s why it’s more important than ever that North Dakotans have state-level protections of their right to decide whether, when, and how they build their families.

“Everyone deserves the freedom to make their own decisions about their bodies, their families, and their future–including the choice to access birth control or fertility options without government interference.

“These bills represent an essential step forward in protecting reproductive freedom and health for all North Dakotans, providing crucial safeguards that will allow people to manage their health, make decisions about family planning, and care for themselves and their families according to their own wishes and on their own terms.”

The two bills introduced today reinforce important protections of critical reproductive health care that North Dakotans across the state, and across the political spectrum, rely on every day to manage health conditions, maintain control over their bodies and reproductive decisions, and to care for themselves and their families.

North Dakotans have affirmed the importance of access to assisted reproduction and have resisted previous efforts to restrict those rights. In 2014, they defeated a ballot measure that would have enshrined a right to life for humans “at any stage of development” in the state constitution—partly due to concerns that it would effectively ban assisted reproductive care.

Meanwhile, the North Dakota Legislature has repeatedly passed some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, which Gender Justice and its partners have successfully challenged in court. These laws are not only unconstitutional but dangerous to North Dakotans’ health, restricting their ability to pursue freedom and happiness. Additionally, North Dakota’s congressional delegation has refused to support similar federal protections for contraception and IVF access, even as active efforts continue to undermine access.

“In a state where politicians repeatedly try to control our private, personal health decisions and impose severe restrictions on care, it’s essential to protect every aspect of reproductive health services,” said Sambor.