A bill that will inform and protect women grappling with unplanned pregnancies became law Thursday when the North Carolina Senate overrode Gov. Beverly Perdue’s veto.
House Bill 854, The Woman’s Right to Know Act, requires a 24-hour waiting period for women considering abortions and ensures they receive information from doctors about adoption and other alternatives. Numerous states have similar laws.
According to the General Assembly’s nonpartisan Fiscal Research staff, the law will reduce the number of abortions in North Carolina by about 10 percent.
But the law does not prevent women from getting abortions.
“We’ve heard a lot of misinformation and a lot of fear mongering from elected officials who want abortion on demand,” said Sen. Warren Daniel (R-Burke). “The bottom line is this will make abortions safer and rarer – two things everyone claims to support.”
Sen. Kathy Harrington (R-Gaston) objected to notions that it is somehow demeaning to women.
“I feel far more respected with a law that ensures a fully-educated choice than with the current system, which allows women to be pressured into traumatic, split-second decisions,” she said. “This is a victory for women, a victory for unborn children, and a victory for this state.”