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North Carolina abortion law overview:
- Who: North Carolina Republicans voted to override the governor’s veto of an abortion bill banning most abortions after 12 weeks.
- Why: The state Republicans used their supermajority to override the veto.
- Where: The 12-week abortion ban took effect in North Carolina.
On May 16, North Carolina Republicans voted to override Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of the state’s 12 week abortion ban, Law360 reports.
The override was the result of a 30-20 vote on party lines, as the GOP utilized its supermajority in the state Senate to undermine the Democratic governor’s veto on Senate Bill 20.
The North Carolina House members also voted 72-48 in favor of overriding Governor Cooper’s veto, meaning the state’s 12 week abortion ban is in effect.
Senate Bill 20, also called The Care for Women, Children, and Families Act, prevents most abortions in North Carolina after 12 weeks. The abortion law allows some exceptions for rape, incest, and “fetal life-limiting anomalies.”
The new abortion law will replace the state’s 20-week abortion ban, which was enacted after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer.
North Carolina abortion law reportedly requires multiple doctor visits and extensive consent process
The North Carolina abortion law requires any abortion after the first trimester to be performed in a hospital.
Additionally, the abortion law requires at least three in-person visits with a physician and an extensive consent process before an abortion can be performed in the state.
The abortion law reportedly imposes fines and criminal charges for advertising and supplying abortion drugs, and for failing to care for a baby after a failed abortion.
Senate Bill 20 initially passed in the North Carolina Senate on May 4 two days after the bill was introduced.
Republican legislators have said that the bill is mischaracterized as an abortion ban because it applies after 12 weeks and allows for important exceptions.
Opponents of the controversial North Carolina abortion bill accused Republicans of attempting to push through the legislation without adequate oversight or input from the public. They argue that the abortion ban will affect women’s access to safe abortions.
They are concerned that the North Carolina abortion ban will particularly affect women in marginalized or rural communities without the resources to attend multiple doctor’s appointments at clinics that may be far from their homes.
Democrats say the bill was not subject to bipartisan compromise. They fear that the abortion law endangers women’s health and puts physicians in a bind.
In March, the state of Texas and the FDA were hit with lawsuits challenging allegedly unclear abortion ban exceptions and the FDA’s approval of abortion drugs.
Do you think the North Carolina abortion law is too restrictive? Join the discussion in the comments!
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