Petitions on ND Abortion Laws Short on Signatures.

Efforts to give North Dakota voters a chance to repeal three of the state's strict new anti-abortion laws are falling short of signature goals, organizers say, in part because of a lack of support from women's groups, which say they prefer to fight the restrictions in court.

The measures are among four that the Republican-controlled Legislature and GOP Gov. Jack Dalrymple approved this year that would make North Dakota the most restrictive state in the nation to get an abortion. Each of the three petitions seeking to put measures up for a statewide vote ballot needs at least 13,452 valid signatures from North Dakota voters.

"I don't think we're going to have enough signatures by the Monday midnight deadline," Gary Hangsleben told The Associated Press on Friday. "I think we'll be 2,000 or 3,000 short."

Hangsleben, a Grand Forks truck driver, said he is opposed to abortion but believes North Dakota residents should have the opportunity to vote on the new laws. He said one last push for petition signatures would be made over the weekend.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/06/21/us/ap-us-abortion-north-dakota.html?hp