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A fundraiser created to assist the only abortion clinic in North Dakota in moving a few miles away to Minnesota, where abortion will remain legal, raised more than $500,000 in less than two days.
The Red River Women’s Clinic in Fargo, North Dakota, will be forced to close its doors after the state’s “trigger” law outlawing abortion goes into effect following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The clinic has been the only abortion provider in the state for 20 years.
The Supreme Court ruled Friday morning in a 5-4 decision that the right to an abortion is not protected by the Constitution, meaning that states will now be allowed to determine their respective laws pertaining to abortion access.
The North Dakota Legislature passed a “trigger” law in 2007 that would ban abortion if the Supreme Court ruled that the procedure was not a constitutional right. The state law will be implemented 30 days after Attorney General Drew Wrigley certifies the Supreme Court’s ruling. Wrigley said in a statement Friday he is evaluating the court’s decision to determine its impact on North Dakota’s laws.
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A crowd of people gather outside the Supreme Court, Monday night, May 2, 2022 in Washington following reports of a leaked draft opinion by the court overturning Roe v. Wade. (AP Photo/Anna Johnson)
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The state law will make it a Class C felony, which is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, for anyone to perform an abortion except for a pregnant woman who performs the procedure on herself. The law allows exceptions in cases of rape and incest.
The abortion clinic’s owner and operator, Tammi Kromenaker, said Saturday she has secured a space for her business in Moorhead, Minnesota. She had previously stated that she was unsure how she would financially support the relocation.
People rally in support of abortion rights at the state Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., in May 2019. A proposed amendment to the state constitution that would protect the right to an abortion and contraceptives was approved by the state Senate Monday. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
A GoFundMe page was launched Friday to help with the move, and had raised more than $515,000 from more than 6,000 donors as of late Saturday afternoon. The initial goal was to raise $20,000.
Kromenaker noted in a TV interview on Saturday that abortion is still legal in North Dakota until the trigger law takes effect.
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Abortion is legal in Minnesota up to fetal viability, and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed an order protecting abortion providers and patients from facing legal consequences in other states.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
