On Tuesday, Republican lawmakers in North Carolina overrode the state’s Democratic governor’s veto to pass legislation that reduces the window for most abortions in the southern state from 20 to 12 weeks.
Except in situations of rape, incest, life-threatening fetal deformities, or medical crises, the legislation prohibits elective abortions after the first trimester. It would restrict abortion access for millions of women in the United States‘ South, where a number of states have severely restricted abortions.
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Republicans were able to override the veto because they had a three-fifths supermajority in each house, 72-48 in the House and 30-20 in the Senate. Prior to Governor Roy Cooper’s veto, the bill was rushed through the legislature in early May on party-line votes in less than 48 hours.
The White House claimed the measure will “harm patients and threaten doctors who provide essential care,” and it urged Congress to make abortion access rights a national law.
Republicans in North Carolina celebrated the law’s passage on Tuesday evening, after the Senate and House voted to overturn Cooper’s veto. In a tweet, state Senator Vickie Sawyer claimed it will reestablish “respect for the sanctity of human life” and rescue “millions of unborn children.”
Democratic state Rep. Deb Butler stated that the measure will make North Carolina a “less hospitable” place to reside. “This regressive law will affect every single woman in this state for the entirety of her reproductive life,” she stated.
Doctors must be present when abortion medicine is administered, and patients seeking medical abortions must have an in-person consultation with a doctor 72 hours before the operation. This will make it more difficult for out-of-state women to seek abortions in North Carolina.
Republican senators described the plan as “common-sense legislation” that constituted a compromise that fell short of the stricter limits rejected by a majority of American citizens. Democratic opponents dubbed it “devastatingly cruel,” claiming that it would compel women to seek illegal abortions.
The legislation provides funds for foster care and daycare, as well as paid parental leave.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights advocacy research group, nearly complete abortion restrictions have taken effect in 14 states after the United States Supreme Court withdrew federal abortion rights in June 2022.
According to a report by the Society of Family Planning, a charity that advocates abortion rights and research, abortions in North Carolina increased by 37% in the first two months after the verdict, more than in any other state.
