North Carolina has passed legislation banning most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy after the state’s Republican-controlled general assembly successfully overrode the Democratic governor’s veto late on Tuesday.
The house completed the second and final part of the override with a vote of 72-48.
The move is expected to deal a fresh blow to one of the last bastions of abortion access in the south, which has been significantly curtailed after the supreme court overturned Roe v Wade last year.
Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, had honoured a vow he made to North Carolinians to protect reproductive rights by vetoing SB 20 during a public rally in Raleigh on Saturday, which was attended by thousands. But in separate votes on Tuesday, the state senate and house cleared the path to put new restrictions into place.
Mr Cooper condemned the decision to override his veto and move forward with the ban, and said he would do “everything I can to protect abortion access in North Carolina because women’s lives depend on it”.
Last week, Republicans had rushed the bill through the house, drawing criticism from other legislators and abortion rights advocates. The 46-page bill, in addition to banning abortion after 12 weeks, extends the waiting period for people seeking abortions to 72 hours, requires providers to send sensitive information to the state department of health and human services, and requires clinics to obtain special licensing that would result in clinic closures throughout the state.
The new restrictions pose grave concerns for abortion providers, who have already witnessed a sharp uptick in patients travelling to North Carolina for abortion care after Roe v Wade was overturned.
Advocates who foresaw the overturning of the governor’s veto of SB 20 sprang into action in the days following the legislative decision, hoping to sway lawmakers who showed support for reproductive rights in the past. They included Tricia Cotham, a representative who handed house Republicans a supermajority after switching parties last month.
In recent days, Planned Parenthood Votes! South Atlantic launched a television ad campaign reminding viewers of Republican state representative Ted Davis’s promise to uphold North Carolina’s 20-week ban.
The group also supported governor Cooper’s efforts to reach constituents and providers in Mecklenburg, Guilford and New Hanover counties last week during a series of round tables. At each talk, the governor informed constituents about the contents of the bill. Mr Cooper also called out Republican lawmakers in the state who had previously said they would protect abortion access.
One-third of North Carolina patients seeking abortions since the supreme court decision come from outside the state, Planned Parenthood estimates. One report shows the number of people travelling to North Carolina for abortion care spiked by 37 per cent as restrictions tightened in neighbouring southern states since last summer. Others show an average increase of 788 patients monthly after the supreme court’s decision.
– Additional reporting: Agencies
– Guardian