North Carolina Lawmakers Pass 12-Week Abortion Ban

Republicans North Carolina

A contentious law restricting most abortions to the initial 12 weeks of pregnancy was passed by North Carolina’s Republican-controlled House on Wednesday and forwarded to the state Senate. This is a significant reduction from the state’s current cap of 20 weeks gestation.

1 Republican and 2 Democratic lawmakers abstained from voting, and the bill was approved 71-46 along party lines.

The law will almost probably be vetoed by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper if the state Senate passes it on Thursday as predicted. However, Republicans have a filibuster-proof majority in the House because of a former Democratic congressman who switched sides in April, and they may overturn Cooper’s veto if they have the support of the one Republican who chose to abstain on Wednesday.

North Carolina Is Against The Anti-Abortion Laws

The bill would have far-reaching implications for women who had been going to North Carolina for terminations of pregnancy from nearby conservative Southern states that prohibited or strictly restricted the procedure after the United States Supreme Court overturned the 1973 ruling establishing federal abortion rights last year.

Elective abortions beyond the first trimester would be prohibited in North Carolina, save in cases of rape, incest, life-threatening fetal defects, and medical emergencies. A $5,000 punishment would be imposed on anyone who sends abortion pills or schedules an abortion via telemedicine without a doctor present. If the bill is passed into law, doctors would also have to be present when the drug is administered.

Tricia Cotham, a former state representative for the Democratic party who switched to the Republican party in April, is essential to the North Carolina House Republicans’ veto-proof majority. According to social media photos, hundreds of pro-choice demonstrators gathered outside the North Carolina general assembly on Wednesday to see lawmakers vote on the legislation. They carried posters that read, “Let Healthcare Workers Do Their Job” and “Respect Bodily Autonomy.”