North Carolina legislature overrides 12-week abortion ban veto, makes it law

North Carolina Republican lawmakers overrode a veto by the state's Democratic governor to enact a law on Tuesday (May 16) that cuts the window for most abortions in the southern state from 20 to 12 weeks.

The law bans elective abortions after the first trimester, except in cases of rape, incest, life-limiting fetal anomalies and medical emergencies. It will curtail access to the procedure for millions of women across the U.S. South where a number of states have greatly restricted abortions.

Republican lawmakers were able to override the veto because they hold a supermajority of exactly three-fifths in each chamber, 72-48 in the House and 30-20 in the Senate. Before Governor Roy Cooper vetoed it, the measure whizzed through the legislature in early May in fewer than 48 hours with party-line votes.

Before the vote, Republican Representative and physician, Kristin Baker, said a doctor's duty is to protect "each and every life, each and every life" thus she was voting in favour.

Meanwhile, Democratic Representative Julie Von Haefen denounced the bill was being rushed and said it "will hurt women" in the state. "Why are you so determined to subvert the popular will of our state?" Von Haefen asked lawmakers.

The White House said the law would "harm patients and threaten doctors for providing essential care," and repeated its call for Congress to enshrine abortion access rights into law nationwide.

The measure requires doctors to be present when abortion medication is given and requires those seeking medical abortions to have an in-person consultation with a doctor 72 hours before the procedure. That will make it more difficult for women from out-of-state to obtain an abortion in North Carolina.

The bill includes funding for foster and childcare as well as paid parental leave.

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.

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