On September 18th, the Fayetteville Observer published the following op-ed by Mary Summa, NC Values General Counsel, entitled “NC abortion bill is about protection, not chaos or danger”:
In their efforts to confuse the issue and instill fear in women, pro-abortion advocates continue to peddle half-truths and distortions about North Carolina’s pro-life bill, SB20.
Roberta Waddle’s Sept. 7, 2023 opinion piece entitled, “Fayetteville NOW Activist: Abortion RestrictionsLeading to Chaos, Danger for Women” is no exception.
Contrary to what Ms. Waddle suggests, SB20 will not prohibit the removal of the dead child after a miscarriage. It will not prohibit the removal of an ectopic pregnancy. It will not prohibit a doctor from performing an abortion at any stage of the pregnancy if the woman’s life is in danger or there is a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.
SB20 does not prohibit abortion up to 20 weeks due to rape or incest. SB20 does not prohibit an abortion up to 24 weeks for a case where the child has a life-limiting anomaly after being given information about alternatives to the abortion.
On the contrary, the bill protects women who choose abortion up to 12 weeks. It requires that the abortion be performed in a clean, safe facility and that a doctor give in-person counseling about the risks of the abortion 72 hours before the abortion.
If the woman is obtaining a medical abortion, the bill requires that she be examined by a doctor to ensure that the pregnancy is not ectopic and that she does not have a health condition or blood type that increases the risk of injury from the medical abortion.
SB20 requires that the doctor set up a follow-up appointment to ensure that parts of the baby do not remain in the uterus after the abortion. Lastly, SB20 prohibits mail-order abortion pills to ensure that the woman is under the care of a doctor when she undergoes a medical abortion.
For the mother who chooses life, the bill increases childcare assistance. Monies in the pending budget will provide increased funding for pregnancy care centers which do a terrific job caring for both the mother and child before and after birth. For mothers who choose to give up their babies for adoption, the bill increases the funding for adoption assistance.
Finally, the bill provides some protection for the person many times ignored in the abortion debate,the unborn child. Sadly, this protection begins at 12 weeks, after most abortions in North already taken place, but SB20 turns North Carolina in the direction of restoring the right to life for our most vulnerable and prohibits eugenics-style abortions based on race, sex or Downs Syndrome.
For babies who survive abortion, the law makes it clear that the infant who survives an abortion is a person entitled to life-saving medical treatment and the full protection of the law. Intentional acts to kill the child will be treated as murder.
SB20 is the farthest thing from a bill which breeds chaos and endangers women. Rather, for the first time, it codifies protections for women who choose abortions and extends the right to life for the unborn child.
Mary Summa is General Counsel at NC Values.
