RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Republican legislative leaders said on Tuesday there’s agreement in the GOP-dominated legislature on backing a measure that would prohibit abortion in nearly all cases after roughly the first trimester of pregnancy.
House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger announced at an early-evening news conference that there’s consensus between Republicans in the state House and Senate.
North Carolina law currently bans nearly all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The measure would reduce that to 12 weeks, with new exceptions in cases of rape, incest or fetal abnormality. An existing exception for when the life of the pregnant woman is in danger would remain.
Final votes for the agreed-upon legislation would occur Wednesday in the House and Thursday in the Senate, legislators said.
The bill also contains provisions to make adoptions easier and to improve health care access for children and pregnant women.
“It’s time for North Carolina to take the next step forward in honoring the sanctity of human life,” said Sen. Joyce Krawiec, a Forsyth County Republican and one of the negotiators of the agreement, adding that the bill “will undoubtedly save lives and improve health outcomes for many pregnant women.”
The final measure would go to the desk of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who is a strong supporter of abortion rights. He said in December he would consider it extreme to ban abortion after less than 20 weeks.
In a fundraising email to supporters late Tuesday, Cooper called the bill “an egregious, unacceptable attack on the women of our state.” Cooper campaigned last fall for legislative candidates that he said would help uphold his vetoes on abortion.
But Republicans now hold veto-proof majorities in both General Assembly chambers after then-Democratic Rep. Tricia Cotham, of Mecklenburg County, switched to the Republican Party last month. Cotham has declined to say publicly whether she would be willing to vote for new restrictions. If she doesn’t vote for the bill, some House Democrats likely would have to vote for an override or be absent for Republicans to overcome a Cooper veto.
The anticipated bill will place limits on the exceptions, capping abortions at 20 weeks in cases of rape or incest and 24 weeks for “life-limiting” fetal anomalies, including certain physical or genetic disorders that can be diagnosed prenatally. Doctors could face fines for failing to follow some restrictions in the measure.
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