North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper criticised Republicans in the General Assembly this week for overcoming his veto of their newly stringent 12-week abortion bill, implying that the GOP may wind up paying for it at the polls in 2024.
“It’s amazing how they’ve ignored the will of the people here,” said the Democratic governor on MSNBC’s “The Saturday Show.” “The majority of North Carolinians do not want right-wing politicians in the examination room with women and their doctors.” However, Republicans are ruled by their right wing.”
Cooper announced his veto of SB20 at a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, last Saturday. Standing behind a lectern emblazoned with the words “STOP THE BANS,” he asked Republicans, particularly those who had expressed tacit support for abortion rights while campaigning, to defy their party’s position and vote with Democrats. Yes, the Republicans had supermajorities in both the Senate and the House, but they were razor thin. A single vote in either house would have prevented the new abortion law from becoming law.
Republicans stood firm, and Cooper’s veto was overturned days later.
“Not a single Republican stepped up,” Cooper said to Capehart. “Not a single Republican fulfilled a campaign promise to protect women’s reproductive freedom.” As a result, you have Republicans who are united in their opposition to women’s reproductive rights.”
The new law, which goes into effect on July 1, bans most abortions in North Carolina at 12 weeks, a significant reduction from the state’s current 20-week restriction. Republicans have attempted to portray the bill as moderate, with 20-week extensions in cases of rape or incest and 24-week extensions in cases of a “life-limiting foetal anomaly.” The new law is not as restrictive as abortion laws passed recently in Florida or South Carolina.
Cooper, though, was unconvinced, claiming that Republicans in his state just needed “42 hours to turn back the clock 50 years.” He stated that the topic would be “front and centre” in the 2024 elections.
“I told the President in North Carolina that I believe we can win North Carolina for him,” Cooper added. “In January 2025, we will elect a new Democratic governor to take office.” And we’re going to work hard to break the North Carolina legislature’s supermajority.”