HB 716 “Undermines Women,” ACLU-NC Says

Civil Liberties Organization Says Legislation Heading to Senate Would Insert the Government Between a Woman and Her Doctor and Undermine Public’s Trust in Women to Make Their Own Health Care Decisions

May 7, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: 212-549-2666, media@aclu.org

RALEIGH – Today the North Carolina House of Representatives approved HB 716, a bill that would fine doctors for performing an abortion where sex selection is a “significant factor” in a woman’s decision. It now heads to the state Senate. In response, the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina released the following statement:

“This bill undermines women who make the difficult decision to terminate a pregnancy by suggesting that they might do so for trivial reasons and should not be trusted to make their own health care decisions,” said ACLU-NC Policy Director Sarah Preston, who testified against the bill during a May 1 committee hearing. “Most North Carolinians agree that the government has no business placing itself between a woman and her doctor, but this vaguely worded bill would do just that, forcing health care providers to become interrogators out of fear of litigation from people who may have no relationship to the patient. We urge the Senate to reject HB 716.”

Read more about the ACLU-NC’s position on HB 716 here.

Joining the ACLU-NC in its opposition to HB 716 are Physicians for Reproductive Health, NARAL NC, Planned Parenthood, the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, and the National Institute for Reproductive Health.

During his campaign for governor, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory vowed to sign no further restrictions on abortion in the state.