North Carolina's Democratic governor to veto 12-week abortion ban, but
override likely
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[May 13, 2023]
By Julia Harte
(Reuters) - North Carolina Democratic Governor Roy Cooper said he would
hold a rally on Saturday to highlight his planned veto of a bill that
would ban most abortions after 12 weeks, a move the state's
Republican-controlled legislature is expected to quickly vote to
override.
The measure would cut the window for most abortions in the state back
from 20 weeks and curtail access to the procedure for millions of women
across the U.S. south.
Republicans have a supermajority in both legislative chambers and will
likely override Cooper's veto, allowing the bill to become law.
Cooper announced on Twitter that he would hold the rally on Saturday in
Raleigh, the state capital. He spent the week traveling across North
Carolina to raise awareness about impacts of the bill, urging Republican
lawmakers who previously expressed support for reproductive rights to
allow his veto to stand.
"All we need is one Republican in either chamber," Cooper said at a
Tuesday event in Mecklenburg County, where a formerly Democratic state
lawmaker recently switched parties, giving the Republicans their
veto-proof majority.
Anti-abortion groups Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and North
Carolina Values Coalition launched a digital campaign in response to
Cooper's tour, with online ads accusing him of bullying the lawmakers
and urging voters to stand by them.|
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/May/13/images/ads/current/guzzardos_sda_PROMGRAD_2023.png)
The bill whizzed through the legislature in fewer than 48 hours in early
May, drawing criticism from Democrats and abortion rights supporters who
urged a period of lengthier analysis and debate typical for such
legislation.
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![](../images/051323PIX/news_u8.jpg)
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper gives
his victory speech next to wife Kristin Cooper (not pictured)
following his successful reelection bid in Raleigh, North Carolina,
U.S., November 3, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/May/13/images/ads/current/graue_lda_preowned_Buickencore_011323.jpg)
The measure would ban elective abortions after the first trimester,
except in cases of rape, incest, life-limiting fetal anomalies and
medical emergencies.
It would also require doctors to be present when abortion medication
is given and those seeking medical abortions to have an in-person
consultation with a doctor 72 hours before the procedure. That would
make it more difficult for out-of-state abortion seekers to obtain
the service in North Carolina.
Republican lawmakers called the bill "common-sense legislation" that
represented a compromise that stopped short of the more restrictive
bans opposed by a majority of U.S. voters.
The bill includes funding for foster and child care as well as paid
parental leave.
Democratic opponents called it "devastatingly cruel," and said it
would force women into seeking illegal abortions.
Near-total abortion bans have taken effect in 14 states since the
U.S. Supreme Court revoked federal abortion rights in June 2022,
according to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights advocacy
research group.
Abortions in North Carolina rose by 37%, more than any other state,
in the first two months after the ruling, according to a study by
the Society of Family Planning, a nonprofit that promotes abortion
rights and research.
(Reporting by Julia Harte; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and David
Gregorio)
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