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Statement

Abortion Ban Will Undermine the Health and Endanger the Lives of North Carolina Moms, Pregnant People

May 16, 2023
Reproductive Justice

Lisa Lederer, 202/371-1996

Statement of Beth Messersmith, Senior Director of MomsRising, the online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, including 47,000 in North Carolina, on the abortion ban the North Carolina state legislature passed last night:

“In overriding Gov. Cooper’s veto, Republican state legislators callously and cynically betrayed the moms, women, and families they are supposed to represent.

“When our state’s devastating abortion ban takes effect on July 1, North Carolinians will be forced to go without essential reproductive health care. The new law will put people needing care for miscarriages at risk and make it much more difficult for women and pregnant people to access medication abortion. Rural, low-income, immigrant, and working-class families, people of color, those with disabilities or who are LGBTQIA+, and those without access to affordable health care will face massive burdens to accessing reproductive health care. Abortion care will be out of reach for many, even early in pregnancy. 

“The fact that lawmakers included paid parental leave and funded maternal health and child care in this bill in no way mitigates the grave harm this new law will do. Moms are the majority of people who have abortions, and this law will put our health and our lives at risk.

“North Carolina moms will not soon forget this stunning betrayal. Every state legislator who voted to overturn Gov. Cooper’s veto will answer to constituents – and to North Carolina’s moms – for this vote.”

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.