North Carolina Republicans have overridden North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D) veto of a pro-life bill, dealing a crushing defeat to pro-abortion activists in the state.
According to The Blaze, the law allows several exceptions. Abortions are permitted through 20 weeks of pregnancy if the woman was violated and during the first 24 weeks if the baby has a “life-limiting anomaly.”
The law protects abortion survivors and unborn babies from discrimination based on gender, race, or Down syndrome while providing over $100 million supporting children, families, and maternal health.
Cooper recently vetoed Senate Bill 20, claiming that the measure’s “fine-print requirements” and its “restrictions will shut down clinics and make abortion completely unavailable to many women at any time, causing desperation and death.”
Cooper said he was counting on “just one Republican in either the House or the Senate” to listen to the demands of pro-abortion activists, CNN reported.
To Cooper’s disappointment, state Republicans stood firm, including state Rep. Tricia Cotham (R), who switched parties in April 2023, giving Republicans a “supermajority” in the state House.
Breaking: North Carolina Republicans override the veto of governor Roy Cooper on banning abortions after 12 weeks. The democrats only needed one Republican to vote with them to continue abortions after week 12, but couldn’t find it. This wouldn’t have been possible without… pic.twitter.com/nQyr2qlkil
— 🇺🇸Travis🇺🇸 (@Travis_in_Flint) May 17, 2023
Cotham emphasized that “this bill strikes a reasonable balance.”
Hours after the state Senate overruled Cooper’s veto, the House voted 72-48 along party lines to do the same.
Protestors chanted “shame” after the Republican lawmakers passed the override of Cooper’s veto. Michael Whatley, chairman of the North Carolina GOP, stated, “The voters of North Carolina have rejected the radical abortion-on-demand position of Roy Cooper, Josh Stein, and the Democrat Party.”
“I commend our Republican-led General Assembly for overriding Gov. Cooper’s veto of this balanced and widely-supported legislation and moving forward to protect life in North Carolina,” Whatley added.
North Carolina Lieutenant Gov. Mark Robinson (R) said he was “glad to see Republicans in the NC House and Senate stand strong and override the Governor’s veto,” pointing out that they have “taken a stand to create a culture of life in North Carolina.”
Following the bill’s passage, Cooper accused Republicans of “attacking” women’s reproductive rights, saying that Democrats are “energized to fight back on this.”
The Associated Press reported that the pro-life victory comes days ahead of a possible resolution in South Carolina, where the state House is debating a six-week abortion ban, which will soon be up for a vote.
