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HB 1488

relative to rabies vaccines for animals.

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Keith Ammon and 1 co-sponsor

HB 1488 would overhaul North Dakota abortion law by creating an abortion approval committee and a formal framework with enhanced consent, reporting, and medical emergency provision

Refer for Interim Study: MA VV 03/11/2026 HJ 7 P. 35
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Bill Summary · HB 1488

Summary — HB 1488 (North Dakota) — Abortion approval committee; framework for abortion; emergency medical exception

Status: Introduced December 2, 2024. Second reading — failed to pass (yeas 6, nays 87).

Purpose and intent

HB 1488 would comprehensively revise North Dakota’s statutory framework for abortion by (1) creating an abortion approval committee, (2) establishing a statutory “framework for abortion” (procedural, consent, and reporting rules), and (3) codifying an emergency medical exception. The bill also amends multiple existing code sections and repeals prior abortion-restriction provisions.

Key provisions (what the bill would do)

  • Create new code sections 14‑02.1‑04.3, 14‑02.1‑04.4, and 14‑02.1‑04.5 establishing an abortion approval committee and related processes (text not included in the excerpt).
  • Amend and reenact multiple North Dakota Century Code sections governing abortion, including:
    • 12.1‑19.1‑03 (exceptions) — clarifies that an abortion deemed necessary in reasonable medical judgment to prevent death or a serious health risk is permitted and retains a narrow exception for pregnancies resulting from certain sexual offenses when the probable gestational age is six weeks or less.
    • 14‑02.1‑02 and related definitional sections — revises and expands definitions (e.g., “abortion,” “abortion facility,” “abortion‑inducing drug,” “drug label,” “fetus,” “infant born alive,” “informed consent,” “medical emergency,” “probable gestational age,” and “reasonable medical judgment”). Notable changes include language tying the definition of abortion to intent to terminate a clinically diagnosable pregnancy and explicit cross‑references to treatment of ectopic or molar pregnancies and retained fetal death.
    • 14‑02.1‑02.1, 14‑02.1‑02.2, 14‑02.1‑03, 14‑02.1‑03.1(1), 14‑02.1‑05, 14‑02.1‑07, 14‑02.1‑08, 14‑02.1‑09, 14‑10‑15, and 14‑10‑19(3) — these sections (some governing consent, waiting periods, printed materials, facility licensing, and reporting) are amended or reenacted; amendments shown in the excerpt tighten informed‑consent procedures (physician must provide specified information at least 24 hours before the procedure, obtain a written certification, and not accept payment before the 24‑hour period).
  • Repeal of prior statutory provisions: sections 14‑02.1‑03.4, 14‑02.1‑03.5, and 14‑02.1‑04 (previous abortion restrictions) are explicitly repealed.
  • Reporting, consent, and procedural safeguards: the bill strengthens/formalizes requirements for physicians or their agents to provide specific information (physician name, that the abortion will terminate a living human being, probable gestational age, risks of the procedure, information about alternative resources and benefits, father’s support liability, and the right to withdraw consent), and requires written certification by the patient.

Who would be affected

  • Pregnant persons seeking abortions (changes to consent, waiting‑period/prior‑information rules).
  • Physicians and staff performing or assisting in abortions (new procedural, documentation, and potential approval/committee review requirements).
  • Abortion facilities (licensing and operational requirements; reporting).
  • State agencies (oversight, reporting collection, and administration of any new approval committee).
  • Potentially legal system actors if enforcement or criminal/administrative penalties are tied to amended provisions (no penalty language was included in the excerpt).

Procedural/timeline notes

  • Introduced: December 2, 2024.
  • Referred to State Affairs and read; advanced to second reading.
  • On second reading the measure failed (yeas 6, nays 87) and therefore did not pass into law in this legislative session.

Additional notes / caveats

  • The public excerpt provides detailed changes to definitions and informed‑consent language but does not include the full text of the new sections creating the “abortion approval committee” or the specific operational rules of the proposed committee (14‑02.1‑04.3–04.5). As a result, the precise scope, membership, decision criteria, and powers of that committee are not available from the provided text.
  • The bill both adds procedural requirements and repeals certain prior restriction sections; readers should consult the full bill text (or an enacted version, if any) to see the complete replaced regulatory regime and any penalties or enforcement mechanisms.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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