Christopher Dodson is the executive director of the North Dakota Catholic Conference. His organization opposes Measure 1, the so-called “ethics” or “anti-corruption” ballot measure, and part of the argument he made to me on the radio show was interesting. He noted that the measure (full text here) requires any organization spending more than $200 on…
Not A Waste Of Time: North Dakota Pro-Life Law May Prompt Supreme Court To Review Abortion Precedents
Earlier this week the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down North Dakota’s pro-life “heartbeat bill” which would ban abortions after a baby’s heartbeat is detected in the womb. Those who are pro-abortion were quick to declare victory, deriding the passage of the law as a waste of time and money, but there are elements in…
Chris Dodson: 8th Circuit Court Implies That Abortion Precedents Are Outdated
The opinion of the Eighth Circuit on North Dakota’s ban on abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat is interesting. Basically, the court is saying that its hands were tied by an outdated and flawed Supreme Court standard. In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court created a trimester standard for determining when states could…
Chris Dodson: Abortion Activists Mislead On Language Of Human Trafficking Bill
Except for once instance when forced to by a federal court because of the state’s participation in a federal program, North Dakota taxpayers have never funded abortion referrals or counseling in favor of abortion. Several provisions in the North Dakota Century Code secure that policy for specific programs. To maintain that policy, the North Dakota…
North Dakota Pro-Abortion Group Is Afraid Of A Little Debate
I’ve participated in a few initiated measure campaigns over the years, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from them, it’s that you must engage your critics. In fact, as an observer of North Dakota politics for more than ten years now, I think that’s pretty much a written-in-stone rule. You must engage. You must…
Chris Dodson: Defending North Dakota's Pro-Life Laws Wasn't A Waste Of Money
GameND repeats the recent narrative that the North Dakota legislature has wasted taxpayer money by defending clearly unconstitutional and “worthless” laws. The narrative, however, is wrong. Much of the litigation has been expended defending laws concerning women’s health and involving unsettled legal issues that could have broad and unprecedented consequences of North Dakotans. Let’s start…