North Carolina passes 12-week abortion ban
Breccan F. Thies
The North Carolina Senate passed a 12-week abortion ban 29-20 Thursday evening.
After passage, the chamber’s gallery erupted in chants of “Abortion rights now!” and was subsequently cleared.
NORTH CAROLINA LEGISLATORS REACH VETO-PROOF ABORTION RESTRICTIONS
Over the objection of Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC), Republican legislators in the Tar Heel State reached a “compromise” agreement on limiting abortion earlier this week, which passed the House last night 71-46 with the help of state Rep. Tricia Cotham, who switched parties from Democrat to Republican last month.
Cooper has vowed to veto the bill, which will likely be overridden by three-fifths of the House and Senate.
North Carolina currently restricts abortion at 20 weeks after a court-ordered block was lifted in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year.
During deliberations earlier today, Senate Democrats continued their arguments from yesterday’s rare joint session to expedite the bill, saying they were “excluded and silenced” during the process.
State Democratic Sen. Natasha R. Marcus gave a speech on the floor talking about “safe haven” states that allowed abortion for out-of-state residents. Claiming the current bill will create “healthcare refugees” and that mothers “will die.”
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Despite that, the bill puts millions of dollars toward childcare, reduction in infant and maternal mortality, and foster care, among other items.
Republicans were defensive about using the word “ban,” which they made a point of saying does not appear in the language of the bill and was a point of contention during floor speeches.
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The vote came after a full day of floor speeches in which every Senate Democrat spoke out against the bill.
The bill has been sent to Cooper.