North Dakota Senate rejects bill to ban abortion clinics within 30 miles of a school

BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR/KCND) – The North Dakota Senate has rejected a bill that would prohibit abortion clinics from operating within 30 miles of a school.

Opponents of the measure say it would supersede the authority of local governments to make zoning decisions.

Turtle Lake Republican Senator Howard Anderson says if the bill passed, the state would, in effect, be “banging its head against a wall.”

“If we pass this bill, there would be perhaps only one or two places in the state of North Dakota where this zoning wouldn’t apply” Anderson said.

“And we’re back in court again, spending maybe another million dollars in taxpayer money, defending something which we knew was going to happen when we passed this bill.”

The measure failed on a 33 to 13 vote.