The North Dakota Senate has passed a measure would make the state the first to ban abortions based on genetic defects such as Down syndrome.

It's one of several anti-abortion bills the Legislature has weighed this session.

The North Dakota Senate has also approved banning abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.

If Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple signs the measure, North Dakota would have the most restrictive abortion laws in the U.S.

The Senate passed both bills Friday, sending them to Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple.

One measure would also ban abortion based on gender selection. The Guttmacher Institute, which tracks abortion laws throughout the country, says Pennsylvania, Arizona and Oklahoma already have such laws.

Fargo Republican Rep. Bette Grande is the prime sponsor of the bill. She says abortions based on gender or genetic abnormalities have "no place in civilized society."

Grande says sex-selection abortions usually target female fetuses because of preference for a baby boy. Grande says she also has two children with "genetic disabilities."

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