North Carolina Governor Signs New Pro-Life Legislation Into Law

Katie Pavlich | July 30, 2013 7:43 AM

North Carolina Pat McCrory signed pro-life legislation into law late yesterday requiring abortion clinics to comply with basic medical standards used in outpatient surgical clinics. The legislation also allows medical insurance providers to opt out of abortion coverage in their plans. Surgical abortion in North Carolina is legal from five weeks to 20 weeks of pregnancy.

"These higher standards will result in safer conditions for North Carolina women," McCrory said. "This law does not further limit access and those who contend it does are more interested in politics than the health and safety of our citizens."

Not surprisingly, pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood and NARAL are criticizing the move, saying many abortion clinics will close as a result.

Abortion rights supporters demonstrated outside the governor's executive mansion in a last-ditch effort to get him to veto the legislation. After he signed the bill into law, they voiced outrage.

"We are appalled that Gov. McCrory broke his campaign promise and we will do everything in our power to let the women of North Carolina know they cannot trust him to stand up to lawmakers intent on denying women access to safe and legal abortion," said Paige Johnson, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood Action Fund of Central NC.

Considering abortion is a surgical procedure, holding abortion clinics to the same standards as surgical clinic is nothing extreme. Not to mention, nearly half of the states in the country now have this requirement.

On an national level, Florida Senator Marco Rubio is preparing to introduce legislation in the U.S. Senate limiting abortions to five months of pregnancy.