A panel of judges in North Dakota's state Supreme Court has upheld a law that makes it a felony crime to perform an abortion in the state.
The decision reverses a lower court's ruling which temporarily blocked the new law. The ruling on Friday came after three of the court's five justices ruled that the law was invalid, however, it required the support of four justices to strike it down.
Violating the state law comes with a penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine of $10,000 (£7,600).
The US Supreme Court overturned a federal right to abortion in 2022, leaving it up to states to regulate. North Dakota now joins 12 other states that have passed total bans on abortion.
The decision comes after the law was challenged by an abortion clinic in the state. Courts had ruled that the ban could not go into effect while the legal case was ongoing.
