Gov. Cooper to veto NCGOP’s extreme abortion ban on Saturday; veto rallies to be held across the state

Republicans in both chambers of the North Carolina Legislature passed an extreme abortion ban, Senate Bill 20, last week, and Gov. Roy Cooper has plans to veto that bill on Saturday at a rally in downtown Raleigh.

There are four Republicans who campaigned on not restricting abortion any further than the current 20-week law – Sen. Michael Lee (New Hanover), Rep. Ted Davis (New Hanover), Rep. John Bradford (Mecklenburg) and Rep. Tricia Cotham (Mecklenburg) – and three of them voted for the new ban, while one did not vote at all (Davis).

Due to a Republican supermajority in the general assembly, every Democrat and at least one Republican needs to vote against overriding Cooper’s veto in order to prevent the ban from becoming law.

• Despite what Republicans have been claiming, SB 20 is actually far worse than a simple 12-week ban. Once you dig a little below the surface, it becomes abundantly clear that this ban is even more draconian than you might think. This legislation imposes significant, and in many cases, insurmountable roadblocks for people trying to get an abortion early in their pregnancy.
• Senate Bill 20 includes new restrictions and requirements that many of the state’s clinics can’t (and shouldn’t need to) meet in order to stay open. With the new restrictions and requirements, it will effectively ban reproductive freedom earlier and sometimes altogether for pregnant North Carolinians.
• Doctors and health care providers have warned about the dangers of SB 20, saying that further restricting abortion in the state is dangerous and will restrict their ability to do their jobs.

If just one of those four Republicans stays true to their word, SB 20 can be defeated in North Carolina.

There will be “Sustain the Veto” and “Stop SB20” rallies held from the mountains to the sea this weekend. Check out the list below: 

• Raleigh – Saturday, May 13 at 10 a.m. Gov. Cooper will sign the veto at Bicentennial Mall across from the legislative building at 16 W. Jones St.
• Greensboro – Saturday, May 13 at 10 a.m. at the Old Guilford County Courthouse, located at 301 W. Market St.
• Wilmington – Saturday, May 13 at 10 a.m. at the corner of 3rd Street and Princess Street.
• Asheville – Saturday, May 13 at 4 p.m. at Rabbit Rabbit, located at 75 Coxe Ave.
• Cary – Saturday, May 13 at 5:30 p.m. at Old Library Park, located at 310 S. Academy St.
• Boone – Sunday, May 14 at 1 p.m. outside Hope Pregnancy Center, located at 208 Howard St.