On May 17, the North Carolina General Assembly voted to override the veto of Governor Roy Cooper (D) and enact SB 20, a ban on abortions beyond twelve weeks of pregnancy. The vote was 72-48 in favor of the measure in the House, and 60-40 in the Senate. Both met the three-fifths threshold for overruling vetoes, with no votes to spare.
The legislation, misnomered the “Care for Women, Children, and Families Act,” bans surgical and medical abortions beginning 12 weeks after conception. The bill will go into effect on July 1.
Last June, the United States Supreme Court set the precedent for such a ban in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. In that decision, the Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case which ruled abortion bans unconstitutional in a massive expansion of reproductive rights.
The new law will dramatically reshape the landscape of abortion in the South. Until now, women from states across the South — sometimes driving from states as far away as Texas — have found care in North Carolina for sometimes life-threatening circumstances. Aside from North Carolina, the law will especially affect women living in Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia.
Legal abortion in a healthcare setting is safe, effective, and essential. The new ban in North Carolina will not end abortions here. Instead, it will make abortions less safe, less effective, and even more essential. The ban unacceptably threatens the lives and livelihoods of women across the South.
After the 2022 elections, Republicans held majorities in both chambers of the North Carolina legislature. While they held a supermajority in the Senate, they were one seat short of one in the House. Then, on April 5, 2023, Representative Trisha Cotham (R-N.C.) announced her decision to switch her party affiliation from Democratic to Republican. On May 17, Ms. Cotham provided the seventy-second vote in the N.C. House and enabled the veto override vote to pass.
The cowardice and malice of Republicans across the South found an exception in South Carolina, where three Republican women joined all Democrats in blocking a proposed six-week abortion ban this month. But yesterday, that group’s filibuster failed and the legislature passed the six-week ban. Such a bill, when coupled with the legislation in North Carolina, will dramatically curtail abortion rights for women across the South.
Abortion is a human right. The North Carolina ban is unconscionable and unacceptable. All of its supporters ought to be ashamed of their complacency in a nationwide war against women and their rights.
Taking action against this law and others like it is of dire importance. To make your voice heard, make sure you contact your representative, take part in demonstrations, donate to organizations like the Carolina Abortion Fund, and do anything else to keep abortion safe, legal, and accessible in your area. 🆅
The opinions expressed within this piece are solely those of the Editorial Board and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of North Mecklenburg High School or the Viking Voice.