ACLU Urges Veto of Forced Delay for Abortion in North Carolina

RALEIGH – The North Carolina Legislature today passed HB 465 requiring a woman who has decided to have an abortion to delay her abortion by at least 72 hours. North Carolina would be one of only five states to mandate such a lengthy forced delay requirement.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina are calling on Gov. Pat McCrory to veto the bill.

During his 2012 campaign, Gov. McCrory vowed to sign no further restrictions on abortion access in the state.

“A woman is more than capable of taking the time she needs to make her own personal medical decisions without the government forcing her to endure an unnecessary and potentially harmful delay,” said Sarah Preston, acting Executive Director of the ACLU of North Carolina. “We call on Gov. McCrory to fulfill his campaign promise and veto this harmful restriction without delay.”

“This bill doesn’t help women. All it does is shame a woman who has already decided to have an abortion,” said Jennifer Dalven, director of the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project. “This bill is the legislative equivalent of a politician patting a woman on the head and telling her he knows she’ll make the right decision if she just goes home and thinks about it a little more. Gov. McCrory should veto it.”

A forced waiting period is not necessary because a woman who has decided to have an abortion has already carefully considered her decision. New polling shows that most Americans identify as pro-choice and that seven in 10 Americans say that a woman who has decided to have an abortion should be able to do so without additional hurdles.

Medical experts say that these bills do not help women. Instead, they can push abortion later into pregnancy and subject women to stigma and shame. These bills have no medical basis, and medical groups like the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists oppose these types of laws.