A restrictive abortion law in North Dakota was struck down by a federal judge on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
The law prohibited women from receiving abortions after a heartbeat was detected, which can be found as early as the sixth week of pregnancy.
"The state of North Dakota has presented no reliable medical evidence to justify the passage of this troubling law," U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland wrote in his opinion.
The judge added the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized a woman's right to choose for over 40 years and is therefore obligated to uphold the law. Hovland also mentioned how the nation's highest court rejected an appeal of a ruling that ended a 20-week abortion ban in Arizona.
A spokeswoman for the North Dakota attorney general's office did not comment to Reuters.
The law was challenged by Red River Women's Clinic -- the only abortion clinic in the state, located in Fargo. In July, Hovland blocked it from taking full effect.
The directors of the clinic said the law would effectively force them to close if they could no longer provide the services. If they closed, the closest options for women seeking abortions would be in Minnesota or South Dakota.
The ban was approved in early 2013, according to Reuters, and is one of many anti-abortion laws brought on by Republican-controlled state legislatures.
In Arkansas, a law banning abortions after 12 weeks was passed but then struck down in March. However the state's attorney general said he plans on appealing the ruling.
