Gov. Cooper urges New Hanover County lawmakers to uphold North Carolina’s current abortion law

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Senate Bill 20 is a bill that would ban abortion in North Carolina in most cases after 12 weeks of pregnancy. The bill passed the General Assembly last week, just days after it was introduced.

Governor Roy Cooper plans to veto the bill, saying that if it becomes law, it could have devastating impacts.

“This legislation would be a disaster. It’s going to be dangerous. It’s going to cause people to die,” Cooper said.

Cooper hosted a roundtable Wednesday with doctors and community leaders to discuss the bill and abortion access. Cooper says the bill goes beyond a 12-week ban by putting a 10-week restriction on medication abortions. Page 13 of the bill says a physician prescribing an abortion-inducing drug must examine the woman in person and verify that the probable gestational age of the unborn child is no more than 70 days.”

Dr. Kaitlin Warta is an OB/GYN with Novant Health. She says medication abortions are the most common type of abortion in North Carolina.

“It’s something that we should have as an option for people as long as it’s considered to be safe and effective, which it is, at least to 11 weeks and probably beyond that,” Warta said.

Cooper calls on New Hanover County Representative Ted Davis and Senator Michael Lee to “keep their campaign promises” and sustain his eventual veto of the bill.

Lee has said he believes a woman should have the right to choose to get an abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy. He voted in-favor of the bill last week, saying there is not a 10-week restriction on medication abortions.

“While the bill requires a doctor to verify the gestational age of the baby for medical abortions, it does not prohibit administering an abortion-inducing drug after 10 weeks,” said Lee. “Senate Bill 20 does not restrict medical abortions (also known as medication abortions or chemical abortions) at 10 weeks. On page 4 of the bill, under the section for when abortion is legal in North Carolina, it reads, “. . . during the first 12 weeks of a woman’s pregnancy when a medical abortion is procured.”

Davis said before the 2022 election that he supports North Carolina’s abortion law as it stands, which allows abortion access up to the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. He had an excused absence during last week’s vote.

Cooper plans to veto the bill this weekend, and the General Assembly could vote on an override of the veto next week. If one Republican in either chamber votes against a veto override, the bill will not become law.

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