A unique bill targeting abortion just passed the North Dakota House. It requires doctors to inform the woman that having an abortion terminates the life of separate and unique human being. In this case, life is legally defined as having started at fertilization, a major triumph for the pro-life movement.

The bill accomplishes a vital success for women’s reproductive health management: informed consent. For years, arguments have swirled around informed consent laws. How much to tell, what words to use, and waiting periods have all factored into the legal battle.

Abortion is already loaded with so many health and psychological complications, many of which are tied to inadequate information from the beginning of the process. Now, if the Senate passes the bill, women in North Dakota have the law on their side when choosing whether to undergo an abortion.

Some of the post abortion symptoms that can be avoided with proper informed consent: clinical depression and suicide from regret and traumatization, and sleeping disorders, eating disorders, and substance abuse from emotions that haven’t been properly addressed. There can also be immediate medical complications to abortion including hemorrhage, infection, and injury. All of these would be avoided for the women who are informed of and decide against terminating another person’s life – likely to be a very frequent occurrence once the law is enacted.

Abortion supporters claim that the law unfairly upsets women during an already stressful period of their life. Planned Parenthood takes issue with the perceived political interference of a doctor-patient relationship.

If the law passes, it is in the position of creating precedence for other states to follow. It stands to greatly reduce the amount of abortion performed, but only if it isn’t threatened by enacting the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). Make sure to contact your lawmakers and respectfully make your voice heard about the Freedom of Choice Act.