( CNN ) -- A federal judge ruled Wednesday that North Dakota 's abortion law , considered one of the most restrictive in the nation , is unconstitutional . The law banned most abortions after six weeks , when a fetal heartbeat can be first detected . `` The North Dakota strict ban on abortions at the time when a 'heartbeat ' has been detected -- essentially banning all abortions as early as six weeks of pregnancy -- can not withstand a constitutional challenge , '' U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland wrote in his decision . `` A woman 's constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy before viability has been recognized by the United States Supreme Court for more than 40 years . The United States Supreme Court has clearly determined the dispositive issue presented in this lawsuit . This court is not free to impose its own view of the law . '' The law , thought to be the nation 's toughest anti-abortion measure , was signed by the state 's governor last year . `` Although the likelihood of this measure surviving a court challenge remains in question , this bill is nevertheless a legitimate attempt by a state legislature to discover the boundaries of Roe v. Wade , '' Gov . Jack Dalrymple said then . He called the constitutionality of the law `` an open question , '' saying the Supreme Court has never considered the `` precise restriction '' of the fetal heartbeat aspect . The governor was not immediately available to comment on Wednesday 's decision . The Center for Reproductive Rights cheered the ruling . `` The court was correct to call this law exactly what it is : a blatant violation of the constitutional guarantees afforded to all women . But women should not be forced to go to court , year after year in state after state , to protect their constitutional rights . `` We hope today 's decision , along with the long line of decisions striking down these attempts to choke off access to safe and legal abortion services in the U.S. , sends a strong message to politicians across the country that our rights can not be legislated away , '' said Nancy Northup , that group 's president and CEO . The ruling was also praised by the director of the Red River Women 's Clinic , the only clinic providing abortions in North Dakota . `` The decision is a sigh of relief for us and the women we serve . It 's not a surprise . We fully expected the decision to go our way but it 's always nice when it finally happens , '' said Tammi Kromenaker . Abortion was legalized in all 50 states in 1973 by the U.S. Supreme Court . Statutory time limits on when abortions can take place , however , vary from state to state . Under Roe v. Wade , abortions are generally permitted until the fetus is considered viable , or able to live outside the womb . Some states have no time limit , while others allow abortion up to the end of the second trimester , about 27 or 28 weeks into the pregnancy . CNN 's Chelsea J. Carter contributed to this report .
Abortion was legalized in all 50 states in 1973 by the U.S. Supreme Court . The North Dakota law would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected . In addition to banning abortion, it also requires doctors who perform an abortion to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and clinics that meet certain standards for surgical centers. The ban `` can not withstand a constitutional challenge , '' a judge writes .