Breaking: North Carolina Democrat Governor Vetoed Legislation Establishing a 12-Week State Abortion Ban 

nsjonline.com

Disclaimer:  This article may contain the personal views and opinions of the author.

Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina vetoed a bill passed by the state legislature last week. 

Senate Bill 20 would prohibit surgical abortion at 12 weeks and chemical abortion at ten weeks. If approved, it would also require a 72-hour waiting period and multiple in-person visits for abortions. 

Some measures in the bill impose new licensing requirements for medical facilities performing abortions. 

According to Life Site News:

“Senate Bill 20, known as the ‘Care for Women, Children and Families Act,’ contains a raft of new pro-life protections and abortion restrictions, including a ban on mailing abortion-inducing drugs to pregnant women; protections for medical professionals who refuse to participate in abortions on ‘moral, ethical, or religious grounds’; a ban on abortions sought ‘in whole or in part’ due to a baby’s race, sex, or Down syndrome diagnosis; a ban on partial-birth abortion ‘at any time’; and a requirement that women make two in-person visits for a surgical abortion and three for a chemical abortion.”

The Democrat governor from North Carolina announced the veto via Twitter:

“The extreme abortion ban has been vetoed. Let’s work to keep it that way.”

The governor’s office said in a press release that the bill the majority-Republican legislature put forward as “mainstream” will have a major impact on women’s access to abortion and cause the closure of women’s health clinics.

“This bill will create dangerous interference with the doctor-patient relationship, leading to harm for pregnant women and their families,” the governor said.

“With its medically unnecessary obstacles and restrictions, it will make abortion unavailable to many women, particularly those with lower incomes, those who live in rural areas, and those who already have limited access to health care.”

Caitlin Connors, the southern regional director of SBA Pro-Life America, excoriated the governor for the veto. She said Cooper “sided with the abortion industry over the people.”

“During his tour targeting legislators to uphold his veto, the Governor made it abundantly clear who he was representing by holding a panel with the chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood and the owner of another abortion facility,” she said.

The pro-life group aims to educate the public, noting that at 12 weeks of gestation, “all major organs have formed and the heart has beat over 10 million times. At this stage, babies suck their thumbs and already have a right-hand or left-hand preference” and have prominent facial features.

“We thank legislators for standing with 62% of North Carolinians against Gov. Cooper’s Planned Parenthood-driven agenda to deny the protection of life for babies at the point when they resemble mom or dad, their heart has beat more than 10 million times and they respond to touch,” Connors added.

Republicans have a supermajority so an override of Cooper’s veto is very likely. One defection could threaten the override effort because of the Republicans’ one-vote supermajority.

Every Democrat voted against Senate Bill 20 so it’s vital that all Republican lawmakers remain on board to override the governor’s veto.

It is expected that Republican lawmakers will be successful in passing the bill they say is a compromise that reaches middle ground.