North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) has vowed to veto a pro-life bill that recently passed through the state’s legislature, though Republicans appear to have enough votes to override the veto.
The bill recently passed in North Carolina’s House and Senate strictly along party lines. While it is not a total abortion ban, the bill would protect the lives of some unborn children in the state — banning most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy. There are several exceptions to the bill, including allowing abortions up to 20 weeks if the baby was conceived non-consensually, and allowing abortions up to 24 weeks if the unborn child has a “life-limiting anomaly.” The bill also allows exemptions for medical emergencies.
The measure would also ban abortions that are sought because of the child’s race or because the baby has Down Syndrome.
Cooper blasted the bill in a video, claiming that the “fine-print requirements” and “restrictions” would lead to abortion clinics being “shut down.”
He also claimed that the measure would “make abortion completely unavailable to many women at any time, causing desperation and death,” and described it as an “awful bill.”
This bill has nothing to do with making women safer, and everything to do with banning their reproductive freedom. pic.twitter.com/nfBagT3ijz
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) May 4, 2023
In another tweet on Wednesday, Cooper claimed the measure was an “extreme ban.”
I will veto this extreme ban and need everyone’s help to hold it. – RC pic.twitter.com/5uu1iAbHhx
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) May 3, 2023
Twelve-week abortion bans are far from “extreme,” as that is the standard restriction in most other countries.
According to a legislative finding justifying Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban, “The United States is one of only seven nations in the world that permits nontherapeutic or election abortion-on-demand after the 20th week of gestation.”
“In fact, fully 75% of all nations do not permit abortion after 12 weeks’ gestation, except (in most instances) to save the life and to preserve the physical health of the mother,” the document continues.
Meanwhile, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America has noted that an unborn child at 12 weeks is already significantly developed.
“By 12 weeks’ 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. Prominent facial features including the nose, cheeks, eyes and ears are recognizable; teeth are developing; and the body responds to touch,” the organization wrote in a press release.
