North Carolina Legislature Overrides Veto to Protect Unborn Children

The North Carolina legislature has successfully overridden Governor Roy Cooper's veto, making a new law that bans most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy. The state's bishops have praised the legislation as a step toward promoting a culture of life.

North Carolina takes a courageous step to protect more children in the womb.

Highlights

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
5/19/2023 (2 weeks ago)

Published in Marriage & Family

Keywords: North Carolina, veto pro-life, abortion, ban, veto, 12 weeks

Governor Cooper vetoed the bill, known as the "Care for Women, Children and Families Act," over the weekend. To sustain his veto, he needed support from at least one Republican lawmaker, which did not materialize. The state House and Senate voted along party lines to override the veto on May 16.

The 12-week abortion ban includes exceptions allowing abortions up to 20 weeks in cases of rape and incest, and up to 24 weeks for "life-limiting" fetal anomalies. Previously, North Carolina's abortion law prohibited the procedure in nearly all cases after 20 weeks of pregnancy and did not include exceptions for rape or incest.

Before the override took place, North Carolina's Catholic Bishops, Peter Jugis of Charlotte and Luis Zarama of Raleigh, expressed their support for the bill, acknowledging its imperfections but hoping it would become law to protect unborn children and provide support for mothers in need. They emphasized the Church's commitment to the dignity of every human life and its mission to care for mothers and families throughout life's stages.

North Carolina joins other states in either tightening or expanding access to abortion since the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last summer, which granted authority over abortion laws to state legislators. Abortion regulations now range from total bans to allowing the procedure throughout pregnancy nationwide.

Governor Cooper, in response to the legislative override, pledged to do everything within his power to preserve abortion access in the state. He expressed determination to protect women's reproductive freedom and emphasized the importance of the issue for women's lives.