North Carolina's Legislature May 16 overrode the Democratic governor's veto of a 12-week abortion ban, allowing the measure to be enacted. The bill, an outlier among states that have passed abortion restrictions since Dobbs, now becomes law despite a pressure campaign from Gov. Roy Cooper for lawmakers to reject it.
The Care for Women, Children and Families Act would prohibit elective abortions after 12 weeks, as well as implement new safety requirements for abortion clinics and additional funding for resources, including adoption and foster care services, as well as some paid parental leave. The bill contains exceptions for cases of rape and incest up to 20 weeks gestation, for fetal anomalies up to 24 weeks gestation and no limitations in cases with a maternal mortality risk.
The legislation is unique among the other U.S. states that have moved to restrict abortion after the Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision in June overturned prior rulings by the high court -- including Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which had found abortion access to be a constitutional right. Of the states that have implemented new restrictions post-Dobbs, many have done so at earlier gestational stages.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the vast majority of abortions in the United States take place prior to 12 weeks gestation. In 2020, the CDC found that 80.9% of abortions were performed prior to nine weeks gestation, with 93.1% of all procedures prior to 13 weeks gestation.
Cooper made his case against the bill at a roundtable discussion May 14, arguing, "I've spent the week meeting with doctors and clinic operators who all agree that this dangerous ban would make abortion unavailable to many women and could put their lives at risk."
"Several Republican legislators campaigned on the promise to protect women's reproductive health and we want North Carolinians to ask that they keep that promise," Cooper said.
Cooper made a pitch to voters to pressure Republican state lawmakers against overriding his veto. If just one Republican legislator had not backed an override effort, the state's current 20-week ban would have remained in place.
In a press release, Cooper's office argued that a handful of Republican state lawmakers previously made comments supportive of the state's current 20-week limit, or rejected other restrictions.
“All we need is one Republican to step up," Cooper said during a May 14 interview on MSNBC.
The bill has been backed by the state's Catholic bishops. In a joint statement May 15, Bishops Peter J. Jugis of Charlotte and Luis R. Zarama of Raleigh said they "welcome the (bill's) increased protections for unborn human lives."
"We also welcome the millions of dollars of funding to support mothers and families included in this bill," the bishops said. "Together these provisions represent progress toward building a culture of life in North Carolina."
Bishops Jugis and Zarama added that "in every human life -- from the moment of conception until natural death -- the church sees the image of God and the inviolable dignity of the human person."
"This is why the Church always stands for life and calls on everyone to defend life. The Church is deeply committed through her social and pastoral outreach to caring for mothers and families at every stage of life," they said.
Arguing that "while this bill is not perfect," the bishops nevertheless "hope it will become law to advance protection for unborn children and support for mothers in need."
Caitlin Connors, southern regional director for SBA Pro-Life America, said in a statement that 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," Connors said.
Calling it "alarming" that Cooper did so during Mother's Day weekend, Connors argued "the leader of the purple state of North Carolina is using his political power to serve the financial interests of abortion executives, rather than to represent the consensus on late term abortions, establish paid parental leave for teachers and establish a game-changing amount of funding for childcare."
— Kate Scanlon, OSV News
NC pro-life advocates applaud likely 12-week abortion limit and prepare anew
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NC pro-life advocates applaud likely 12-week abortion limit and prepare anew
CHARLOTTE — Pro-life advocates across the Diocese of Charlotte are hailing new restrictions on abortion – and new resources to help pregnant women – approved May 4 by the North Carolina General Assembly.
Advocates expressed joy and gratitude for the likely ban on most abortions after 12 weeks, but acknowledged work remains to be done.
The state’s Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has vowed to veto the abortion bill, but the Republican-controlled legislature predicts an override that will allow the legislation to become law July 1, in a destination state for women seeking abortion in the Southeast.
“This is a good step in the right direction … something to celebrate,” said Marianne Donadio of Room At The Inn, a Catholic maternity home in Greensboro, who has worked for 35 years to bring an end to abortion.
In Shelby, Father Peter Ascik, director of the diocese’s Office of Family Life, called the pending law “a welcome development.” In a May 4 letter to fellow priests, he urged continued prayer and work “for the care and protection ‘in law and in life’ of every mother, every family, and every unborn child.”
In Asheville, Father Patrick Cahill, pastor of St. Eugene Church, said, “What I like most about this bill is that it expands childcare funding, acknowledging that life is sacred on the other side of the womb as well.”
If the bill survives a veto, the “Care for Women, Children and Families Act” would prohibit most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy in North Carolina. Current state law allows abortions up to 20 weeks, and later in cases when the mother’s life or health is in danger.
The bill would also cap abortions at 20 weeks in cases of rape or incest and 24 weeks for “life-limiting” fetal anomalies. The state’s exception allowing abortions in cases when the mother’s life is in danger would stay in place.
Pro-life advocates applauded the bill for the lives it would save, but soberly noted the reality that more than 90 percent of abortions take place before 13 weeks.
Advocates also noted a lack of legislative support to further protect unborn children, as pursued by proponents of a “heartbeat bill” that would ban most abortions after six weeks.
Still, supporters appreciated the incremental improvement of the 12-week ban and lauded other provisions in the 46-page bill, which includes $160 million for such services as maternal health, adoption care and paid leave for teachers and state employees after the birth of a child.
The bill also includes:
- New requirements to ensure informed consent about risks and alternatives for those seeking abortion
- Additional health and safety requirements for abortion clinics
- Required medical care for babies born alive after an attempted abortion
- A ban on abortion based on a Down Syndrome diagnosis
- A ban on mailing chemical abortion pills to women who have not yet received an exam to verify the stage of their pregnancy
One drawback in the bill that pro-life advocates note is some $7 million in funding to increase access to contraception, which denies the gift of pregnancy through artificial means.
“It’s a positive first step in protecting the lives of unborn babies, their mothers and families in the state,” Jessica Grabowski, the diocese’s Respect Life director, said of the bill. “We hope this act (leads to) additional opportunities to save even more unborn lives beginning at conception. …Activists will need to remain committed and vigilant.”
North Carolina will likely remain a destination for abortion-minded women from surrounding states that have more restrictive laws. Some 30,000 lives were lost to abortion in 2020, the latest state figures available. More than a third of those abortions were performed in Charlotte.
Bishop Peter Jugis last year called on the diocese’s 92 parishes across the western half of North Carolina to strengthen their support for pregnant women in need.
He urged parishes to consider implementing the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ “Walking with Moms in Need” program, to inventory local services for pregnant women and explore ways to fill the gaps within their communities.
The program is thriving at St. Pius X Parish in Greensboro and St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte, and other parishes are following suit.
The diocese already partners with hundreds of agencies across its 46 counties who deliver direct services to pregnant and parenting women – from health care and housing, to food and transportation, to parenting classes and college tuition.
“While there is still work to be done, this bill offers greater legal protection for the unborn child than previously existed in our state,” Father Ascik said, “and significantly expands care for mothers in need.”
— Spencer K.M. Brown and Kate Scanlon, OSV News
N.C. poised to enact 12-week abortion ban
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N.C. poised to enact 12-week abortion ban over governor's objections
North Carolina legislators appear poised to pass a ban on abortions after 12 weeks despite objections from the state's governor.
The Care for Women, Children and Families Act would prohibit elective abortions after 12 weeks, as well as implement new safety requirements for abortion clinics and additional funding for resources, including adoption and foster care services, as well as some paid parental leave.
The bill has exceptions for cases of rape and incest up to 20 weeks gestation, for fetal anomalies up to 24 weeks gestation, and no limitations in cases with a maternal mortality risk.
The legislation's supporters in the state Legislature used a procedural motion allowing them to bypass additional committee votes, which could allow its passage within the week.
The 12-week ban would be an outlier among states that have moved to restrict abortion since the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision in June overturned prior rulings by the high court -- including Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which found abortion access to be a constitutional right. Of the states that have implemented new restrictions, many have done so at earlier stages.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that most abortions in the United States take place prior to 12 weeks. In 2020, the CDC found that 80.9% of abortions were performed prior to nine weeks gestation, with 93.1% of all procedures prior to 13 weeks gestation.
Gov. Roy Cooper, D-N.C., wrote on Twitter that he did not support the bill and planned to veto it.
"It will effectively ban access to reproductive freedom earlier and sometimes altogether for many women because of new restrictions and requirements," Cooper wrote. "This is why Republicans are ramming it through with no chance to amend. I will veto this extreme ban and need everyone's help to avoid it."
Cooper's veto would likely only stall the legislation, as Republicans hold a supermajority in the state's Senate and a large majority in the House, likely leaving them with the votes to override a veto.
North Carolina currently bans abortion after 20 weeks pregnancy, with exceptions for cases with a risk to a woman's life.
Caitlin Connors, southern regional director for SBA Pro-Life America, said in a statement that the legislation "is deeply pro-life and pro-woman and a major step forward for North Carolina."
"This bill would protect thousands of lives a year from brutal abortions at a point when unborn babies have beating hearts, recognizable faces and unique fingerprints forming, and the capacity to suffer, as well as stopping dangerous mail-order abortion pills and more," Connors said. "It demonstrates the Legislature's serious commitment to giving women and families in North Carolina the support they need to thrive."
Connors thanked the legislators who backed the bill and argued that Cooper and others who oppose the bill "oppose the will of the people at their political peril."
— Kate Scanlon, OSV News