North Carolina's Democratic Governor Roy Cooper has vetoed a bill that would have banned nearly all abortions in his state after 12 weeks of pregnancy. The veto launches a major test for leaders of the GOP-controlled General Assembly to attempt to override Cooper's veto. Cooper had until Sunday night to act on the measure, which tightens current state law, which bans most abortions after 20 weeks.
Republicans have called the measure a middle-ground change to state abortion laws developed after months of private negotiations between House and Senate GOP members. "This legislation is pro-family and pro-child," said State Senator Jane Smith (R), pointing out at least $160 million in spending contained within for maternal health services, foster and adoption care, contraceptive services and paid leave for teachers and state employees after the birth of a child.
However, Gov. Roy Cooper has said repeatedly that the details contained in the bill show that it isn't a reasonable compromise but instead greatly erodes reproductive rights. "This 'monster' bill would make obtaining an abortion overly complicated for women," he stated during a rally held Saturday.
Anti-abortion groups accused Cooper of trying to bully them while defending their stance on promoting alternatives such as adoption or providing better support systems for mothers-to-be.
If Republicans prevail in an override attempt, this measure will go into effect on July 1st. The bill includes carveouts for rape, incest, certain fetal abnormalities, and medical emergencies.
Governor Cooper issued a rallying cry for his supporters: "We need your help now more than ever before." He urged Democrats across North Carolina to work towards recapturing state legislature seats so they can protect women's reproductive health rights from further erosion by Republican lawmakers who made campaign promises to restrict access to safe abortions.