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"  Well, it&amp;#039;s official: North Dakota has signed the most restrictive abortion bill in the U.S. into law.  Despite protests from women&amp;#039;s rights groups outside the state Capitol in Bismarck, North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed a bill that will ban abortions after a fetal pulse has been detected (as early as six weeks into pregnancy), and officially passed two more measures that will ban abortion in the event of genetic defects, and abortions performed solely for the purpose of selecting sex. (FYI, no other state restricts abortions performed because of defects like Downs syndrome.) The pulse must be &amp;quot;detectable&amp;quot; using &amp;quot;standard medical practice,&amp;quot; which could mean using the infamous\u2014and super intrusive\u2014transvaginal ultrasound. The stringent blows to women&amp;#039;s rights, which will take effect on Aug. 1., could be just the beginning, as North Dakota has raised banning abortions altogether. The latest measures have prompted calls of unconstitutionality and outrage from lawmakers themselves. &amp;quot;North Dakota hasn&amp;#039;t even passed a primary seatbelt law, but we have the most invasive attack on women&amp;#039;s health anywhere,&amp;quot; said North Dakota Republican Rep. Kathy Hawken. The news from ND comes on the heels of just-passed abortion restrictions in Arkansas, which now mandate that abortions are illegal after an external detection of a pulse via abdominal ultrasound (which is typically after 12 weeks of gestation).  A new movement to trample on women&amp;#039;s rights is definitely cause for concern, but because of Roe v. Wade, states can&amp;#039;t legally interfere with abortion. So, chances are, when these bills are challenged in court, the 40-year-old abortion protection statute will cause them to get overturned.  Here&amp;#039;s hoping...  Want more from Natasha? Follow her on Twitter or find her on Facebook. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/news/a12186/north-dakota-abortion-ban/>