On May 17, 2023 the law, known as the Care for Women, Children, and Families Act was enacted into NC State law after the NC Senate and House overrode a veto of the bill by Governor Cooper.

Senate Bill 20 prohibits abortions after 12 weeks, with exceptions: up to 20 weeks for rape and incest, up to 24 weeks for “life-limiting” fetal anomalies, and without limit if a physician determines that the mother’s life is in danger due to a medical emergency.

The Following are the highlights of S.B. 20 and when they will be enacted. 

Effective July 1, 2023-

The provisions that take effect July 1 include:

• The repeal of the current law, which allows abortions until 20 weeks of gestation, and the enactment of the new 12-week abortion limit and the associated exceptions.
• New informed consent requirements for medical abortions, requiring physicians to provide the pregnant person an abortion consent form at least 72 hours earlier. It must be initialed and signed, disclosing the probable gestational age of the child, the risks of carrying the pregnancy to term and a real-time view of the fetus and heart tone monitoring, among other provisions.
• New requirements that physicians providing abortion-inducing drugs must verify the gestational age of the fetus is no more than 10 weeks, determine the woman’s blood type and schedule two new in-person appointments, one 72 hours before taking the pill and another appointment one to two weeks afterward. This is in addition to the in-person appointment already required when taking the pill.
• New requirements for physicians to report to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services all abortions performed after 12 weeks alongside information such as the demographic and medical history of the woman who had the abortion, whether the woman returned for a follow-up appointment — which the physician must make all efforts to schedule — and more.
• ·        Funding provisions, which include

                     o   $7 million to increase access to reversible contraception,
                     o   $20 million in state funds for maternity and paternity leave for teachers and state employees and
                     o   funding for a range of services including child care and foster care.
             o   A prohibition on eugenics abortions. A provision that creates a $5,000 fine for any person or  organization who advertises or provides abortion-inducing drugs, such as mifepristone and misoprostol, in violation of the law.

Effective Oct. 1, 2023

          Other parts of the law take effect Oct. 1:

• A new requirement that all surgical abortions after 12 weeks be performed in a hospital.
• A new requirement that abortion clinics be licensed by DHHS in order to operate. DHHS must adopt licensing rules prior to October.
• Expanded practice authority for certified nurse midwives.
• New provisions for “safe surrender” of an infant, which allow individuals to hand over their child to health care providers and other designated individuals, if they meet requirements.
• Under this safe surrender clause, the state also provides $700,000 a year for the state’s Maternity Home Fund, a program which provides maternity housing or alternative care services.

We at NLFO feel this bill is a an answer to prayer and goes above and beyond expectations of what an “abortion bill” should be. We also believe that this proves that the efforts of God’s people, people who are willing to serve in all areas of our world including politics and law making, will not return void. God answers the prayer of his people miraculously but also through the willingness of His people to do what He calls them to. 

The “highlights: used above were primarily sourced from an article from “News & Observer”: State lawmakers voted Tuesday to override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of the 12-week abortion bill. May 17, 2023. – sent to NLFO via LIFElink Carolina.  

There is a lot more to this bill so if you would like to see the full bill it is included as a link below.