North Dakota has banned abortion1 once a foetal heartbeat can be detected - as early as six weeks - in the most restrictive law of its kind in the US.
美国北达科他州规定一旦胎儿的心跳可被检测到即严禁流产——大约在幻云第六周，这是美国最具限制性的此类法规。
He approved a third law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have hospital-admitting privileges.
Correspondents say the laws are in part an effort to close the state's only abortion clinic, in the town of Fargo.
The measures, which take effect on 1 August, make no exceptions for
rape5,
incest（乱伦） or the health of the mother.
Gov Dalrymple said: "Although the likelihood of this measure surviving a court challenge
remains6 in question, this bill is nevertheless a
legitimate7 attempt by a state legislature to discover the boundaries of
Roe8 v
Wade9."
Legal challenge
In that
landmark10 1973 case, the US
Supreme11 Court ruled abortion was legal until the foetus could survive outside the womb.
The governor said that the court has allowed states to adopt stricter abortion measures, and has never before considered a measure like this one - leaving the constitutionality of the bills an "open question".
Gov Dalrymple added the state should put money aside to pay for legal challenges to the laws.
Under the North Dakota bills, women would not be
prosecuted12 for having an abortion after a foetal heartbeat could be detected, but doctors could face five years in prison and a $5,000 (£3,300) penalty.
Pro-choice advocates
vowed13 to challenge the legislation.
Sarah Stoesz, president of Planned Parenthood, said: "This
sweeping14 package of bills will not stand up to constitutional
scrutiny15.
"But as a result of North Dakota's leaders' disregard for women's health, the state will endure months and years of drawn-out litigation costing
taxpayers16 hundreds of thousands of dollars."
In addition, North Dakota's Republican-dominated legislature last week set up a voter referendum for November 2014 which seeks to
amend17 the state constitution to define life as beginning at conception.
The
amendment18 would grant full legal protection to
embryos19 and foetuses and could
outlaw20 some forms of birth control, stem-cell research and possibly in vitro fertilisation.
Earlier in March, the Republican-controlled legislature in the state of Arkansas
enacted21 tough abortion laws, banning the procedure after 12 weeks of
pregnancy22.
Scientists generally agree that foetuses become "
viable23" or able to survive outside the womb at about 22-24 weeks.
收听单词发音 
