North Carolina's abortion ban set to take effect
The law will prevent abortions that would happen after 12 weeks
A 12-week ban on abortion will go into effect in North Carolina after a federal judge ruled that most provisions were constitutional. One provision regarding medication abortion received a temporary restraining order because it was too ambiguous.
U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles was the judge who issued the ruling. Activists and abortion providers in the state had sought to get certain parts of the bill nullified because of its lack of clarity. The law had been passed over Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto by the state legislature after several Republicans who had promised to uphold reproductive rights instead voted to limit it.
Tara Romano, executive director of Pro-Choice North Carolina, said the bill will severely limit abortion access. Gov. Cooper made some amendments that received bipartisan support.
“Certainly that's pretty good because it is helpful,” Romano said. “But it doesn't stop the worst parts of the bill from going into effect.”
There is also a 72-hour waiting period between appointments for people who want to get an abortion. Previously the first appointment could be over the phone, but now it has to be done in person.
That will affect people who are coming from out of state. It will make abortion care much more difficult and costly.
“They're going to have to spend more time–depending on how far away they live from a clinic–away from home to be able to access care,” Romano said.
North Carolina had been one of the states most visited by women coming from areas where abortion had been banned altogether. The wait times in states where it is legal have caused many women to get abortion care later in their gestation.
“Depending on when they make their decisions, they might be coming up pretty close to when they're no longer able to legally access care in North Carolina,” Romano said.
The path ahead for the abortion rights movement is daunting. North Carolina doesn’t allow citizen ballot initiatives. Romano said they have to focus on preserving their hold on statewide offices like the governor’s mansion.
“We're going to be letting people know the importance of having a governor who is able to veto bad bills if they come through,” Romano said.