Gender Justice’s mission is to advance gender equity through the law. One way we do this is by advocating for impactful legislation and fighting back against harmful policies that threaten reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ rights, and bodily autonomy in North Dakota. Here’s what we are tracking and working on this year.
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Ensures North Dakotans have access to a full range of birth control and fertility services without unnecessary barriers, while protecting providers from government interference.
Bill Numbers: HB 1478 and 1477
Chief Authors: Rep. Karla Rose Hanson, Sen. Kathy Hogan
Mandates insurance coverage for in-vitro fertilization, helping families access the care they need to build their futures without prohibitive costs.
Bill Numbers: HB 1282
Chief Authors: Rep. Mike Brandenburg, Sen. Kathy Hogan
Repeals North Dakota’s outdated HIV-related laws, which currently criminalize people living with HIV based on stigma rather than science.
Bill Numbers: HB 1217
Chief Authors: Rep. Gretchen Dobervich, Sen. Ryan Braunberger
Expanding Medicaid to cover doula services would improve maternal health outcomes, particularly for Black, Indigenous, and rural communities, by providing critical support during pregnancy and childbirth.
Bill Numbers: HB 1464
Chief Authors: Rep. Gretchen Dobervich, Sen. Kathy Hogan
Would require crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) that receive state funding under state regulation to prevent deceptive practices that mislead patients about their reproductive health options.
Bill Numbers: HB 1595
Chief Authors: Rep.Liz Conmy, Sen. Josh Boschee
An extreme bill that seeks to establish legal “personhood” for fetuses, jeopardizing access to abortion care, fertility treatments, and pregnancy care. It could also pave the way to further criminalization of pregnancy outcomes.
Bill Numbers: HB 1373
Chief Authors: Rep. Lori VanWinkle, Sen. Jose L. Castaneda
This bill would ban abortion after 15 weeks and establish review panels to scrutinize later abortion cases, adding unnecessary bureaucratic barriers to essential and often life-saving medical care.
Bill Numbers: HB 1488
Chief Authors: Rep. Eric J. Murphy
These bills target school districts that affirm and protect transgender students, penalizing educators and administrators who follow inclusive policies. They threaten students’ rights to a safe and supportive learning environment.
Bill Numbers: HB 1144
Chief Authors: Rep. Bill Tveit, Sen. David A. Clemens
Would deem conversion therapy—a discredited and harmful practice—as ethical in social work, reversing progress in protecting LGBTQ+ youth from coercion and abuse.
Bill Numbers: HB 1430
Chief Authors: Rep. Lori VanWinkle, Sen. Bob Paulson
Would mandate that all recipients of state funds define gender strictly as sex assigned at birth, erasing legal recognition for transgender and nonbinary people and forcing institutions to comply in all documentation and communication.
Bill Numbers: HB 1181
Chief Authors: Rep. SuAnn Olson, Sen, Jose L. Castaneda
With your financial support, Gender Justice can continue to fight hard for our clients and push the laws forward in our legislature. Be there with us as we work to bring about big, systemic change. Give today.