RALEIGH, N.C. - This afternoon the N.C. House of Representatives approved HB 453, a bill that would ban abortions based on the reason behind the person’s decision. The measure now heads to the state Senate, which may take it up at any point during the remainder of the 2021-2022 legislative biennium.
HB 453 is the latest in ongoing efforts by state legislators to curtail abortion access. It cleared this legislative hurdle on the same day that the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on an N.C. law banning abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy that a federal district court found to be unconstitutional in 2019.
Liz Barber, policy analyst for the ACLU of North Carolina issued the following statement:
“North Carolinians have a right to access safe reproductive health care without government interference. HB 453 is not about ending discriminatory practices. Instead, it is part of a larger campaign to pass as many laws as possible to further stigmatize and create obstacles for accessing abortion care. We’ve seen these types of bans before in other states, and while they are presented as an effort to fight discrimination, we know they are just another means of controlling people’s bodies, decision-making, and reproduction. We call upon the Senate to reject it and the Governor to veto it should it reach his desk.”