North Dakota requires doctors to review information before abortions

Doctors must review the required educational information before performing an abortion. The requirement covers doctors performing abortions in North Dakota. The review requirement does not apply in a medical emergency. A doctor who performs an abortion without following this section is guilty of a class A misdemeanor, a criminal offense. The review requirement took effect January 1, 2026. The review must occur within two years before the abortion.

The state medical board must provide access to an instructional course on its website. The course covers three specified chapters of North Dakota law as they apply to medical practice. The Office of Management and Budget must arrange course development through a contract, in consultation with the attorney general and with the attorney general's final approval. The course must be updated periodically to reflect state law accurately. This provision does not itself give doctors a right to sue the board because they relied on the course. The course requirement took effect January 1, 2026.

The law sets aside up to $50,000 for the Office of Management and Budget to develop the course. The money comes from the state's general fund and pays for developing the instructional course. The contractor must be a doctor with at least 25 years of experience practicing obstetrics in North Dakota, or an organization that includes such a doctor. Obstetrics is care during pregnancy and childbirth. Course development must involve the attorney general and receive the attorney general's final approval. Only as much of the $50,000 as necessary may be spent. The funding covers July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2027. The funding section is designated an emergency measure.