North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed into law revisions to the state's upcoming abortion restrictions on Thursday, just days before they are set to take effect. These last-minute changes, passed by the Republican-controlled legislature, aim to clarify certain provisions of the law and potentially mitigate the impact of a pending legal challenge.
The revisions address concerns raised in a lawsuit filed by a physician and Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, which argued that vague language in the original law could unintentionally criminalize doctors providing abortion care. The lawsuit sought to temporarily block portions of the law before its implementation on Saturday. However, the revisions appear to resolve several of the issues raised in the suit, potentially affecting the judge's decision on the requested injunction.
The new law reduces the legal timeframe for most abortions from 20 weeks to 12 weeks. It includes exceptions for rape and incest (up to 20 weeks) and for "life-limiting" fetal anomalies (up to 24 weeks). While Governor Cooper, a Democrat, strongly opposes the law and originally vetoed it, the Republican supermajority in the legislature overrode his veto. Despite his opposition, Cooper acknowledged the importance of the revisions in providing clarity to the law.
The revisions clarify that medication abortions are permitted up to 12 weeks, consistent with procedural abortions. They also address a concern about North Carolina's fetal homicide statute and repeal a provision that caused confusion about the 72-hour waiting period for abortions. Although the revisions were approved with bipartisan support, Governor Cooper vowed to continue fighting against what he called a "Republican assault on women's reproductive freedom."
A federal judge is expected to decide on Friday whether to grant a temporary restraining order against parts of the law. While the judge indicated she would not block the entire law, the revisions could influence her decision on the specific provisions challenged in the lawsuit.
Roy Cooper, governor of North Carolina, speaks on June 24, 2023. Cooper signed into law revisions to an upcoming abortion rule sent by the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature. (Erik S. Lesser/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
