NC lawmakers pass 12-week abortion ban; governor vows veto

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina lawmakers on Thursday approved a ban on nearly all abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, down from the current 20 weeks, in response to last year’s overturning of Roe v. Wade at the U.S. Supreme Court.

The ban is one of the least onerous of a slew of bills Republican-led assemblies have pushed through in recent months since the high court stripped away women’s constitutional protections for abortion. Other states have banned the procedure almost completely or throughout pregnancy.

Nonetheless, the 29-20 party-line vote by the Senate was met with loud cries of “Abortion rights now!” from about 100 observers who had crowded into the gallery to watch the debate. Police quickly cleared the area, but protesters could still be heard shouting “Shame!” from outside the closed doors. The House passed the measure Wednesday night on a similar party-line vote.

While perhaps less stringent, North Carolina's bill has far-reaching consequences. Before its passage, many women from nearby states with restrictive laws had traveled to the state for abortions in later stages of pregnancy.

Abortion-rights supporter Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has pledged to veto the bill, calling it “an egregious, unacceptable attack on the women of our state,” but GOP seat margins and assurances from chamber leaders indicate a veto will likely be overridden.

Democrats unsuccessfully attempted several parliamentary maneuvers to get the measure sent back to committee during an hourslong debate. Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue of Wake County said it was unprecedented that all 20 members of the chamber’s Democratic caucus spoke on the floor about the bill. He called the abortion vote “one of the most consequential things we have done in this chamber.”

State law currently...