---
title: "North Dakota Catholic Conference testimony in opposition to HB 1373 (Prenatal Equal Protection Act)"
description: "Religious-body statement from North Dakota Catholic Conference, February 5, 2025, to ND House Human Services Committee. Composite 7/12 — explicit opposition to a tenet. “The Equal Protection Clauses of the U.S. and state constitutions have no relevance to HB 1373”"
type: "letter"
letter_id: "PL-2025-005"
date: "2025-02-05"
letter_type: "Religious-body statement"
lead_org: "North Dakota Catholic Conference"
recipient: "ND House Human Services Committee"
topic: "State equal-protection bill"
shortfall_type: "explicit_opposition_to_tenet"
composite: 7
verification: "primary"
signature_rows: 1
primary_url: "https://ndcatholic.org/yourresources/testimony/2025testimony/2025hb1373house/"
source_url: "https://www.abhortion.org/letters/pl-2025-005.html"
---

# North Dakota Catholic Conference testimony in opposition to HB 1373 (Prenatal Equal Protection Act)

**Religious-body statement** · February 5, 2025 · Explicit opposition to a tenet · composite 7 / 12 · Primary source

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Letter ID | PL-2025-005 |
| Date | February 5, 2025 |
| Lead organization | [North Dakota Catholic Conference](../letters/orgs/o481.md) |
| Recipient | ND House Human Services Committee |
| Topic | State equal-protection bill |
| Type | Religious-body statement |
| Verification | Primary source |
| Signature rows | 1 |
| Completeness | Single organization |

## Key language

> “The Equal Protection Clauses of the U.S. and state constitutions have no relevance to HB 1373” — North Dakota Catholic Conference, February 5, 2025

## Scorecard

Composite **7 of 12** — explicit opposition to a tenet. Each dimension is scored 0 (none), 1 (implied) or 2 (explicit); the rationale is the editor's one-line reason for every non-zero score. D2 and D4 are the fault line the abolitionist critique cares most about.

| Dimension | Score | Meaning at this score | Rationale |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| D1 Exceptions | 0 | None | — |
| D2 Immunity for the mother (fault line) | 2 | Explicitly opposes prosecuting or criminalizing women | Cites the 2022 open letter against criminalizing women. |
| D3 Incrementalism | 1 | By implication — a funding, drug, research, Hyde or Title X letter that takes no abolition position | Implied. |
| D4 Opposition to abolition or equal-protection bills (fault line) | 2 | Explicitly opposes or lobbies against one | Testified against equal-protection bill. |
| D5 Framing | 1 | Implied | Legal framing. |
| D6 Secular framing | 1 | Mixed — mentions prayer or faith, or mixed religious signers | Mixed (Catholic body, legal argument). |

## Spokesperson

1 signature row · **Single organization.** A single-organization record; the spokesperson row is illustrative, not a signature block.

| # | Name as printed | Title as printed | Organization as printed |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Christopher Dodson](../letters/people/i0525.md) | Executive Director and General Counsel | [North Dakota Catholic Conference](../letters/orgs/o481.md) |

## Organizations on this letter

1 distinct organization and 1 named individual, after normalizing renamed and affiliated entities.

- [North Dakota Catholic Conference](../letters/orgs/o481.md) — Religious body, ND

## Sources

- [ndcatholic.org/yourresources/testi…](https://ndcatholic.org/yourresources/testimony/2025testimony/2025hb1373house/) — Primary source (https://ndcatholic.org/yourresources/testimony/2025testimony/2025hb1373house/)
- [ndlegis.gov/assembly/69-2025/re…](https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/69-2025/regular/bill-testimony/bt1373.html) — secondary (https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/69-2025/regular/bill-testimony/bt1373.html)

## Notes

Organization testimony; the legislative record itself is not the artifact.

## Editorial note

The rubric records distance from the standard published by Abolitionists Rising, not a moral verdict; every organization scored here regards itself as pro-life. Scores are judgment calls applied consistently by the published rubric.