North Caroline After Roe

Policy matters and engaging and informative weekly radio show and podcast produced by the North Carolina family policy Council, this is John Ralston president into family and were grateful to have you with us for this week's program is our prayer that you will be informed, encouraged and inspired by what you hear on family policy matters and that you also better equipped to be a voice of persuasion for family values in your community, state and nation, and now here's our house to family policy matters.

Tracy David Griggs joining us this week for family policy matters for months now we been hearing that the Dobson US Supreme Court decision which effectively overturn Roe V Wade will turn abortion regulation back to the states. So what does this mean for North Carolina begin to answer that question I'm joined today by NC family Pres. John Rustin Joshi and NC family Council and Dir. of community impact.

Jerry will help hello discuss the current status of abortion law, North Carolina, and the path forward high so we been hearing that it's likely that people will be increasingly coming to North Carolina for abortion. Something that was surprising to me, at least, and that has abortion centers and pro-life people scrambling to prepare. So why is this happening. Tracy, thank you… First of all acknowledge how incredible it is that the US Supreme Court issued this ruling recently of the Dobbs case and overturned 50 years of abortion on demand in our country so something that we been praying for for decades and working hard for for many many years and finally came to fruition, but as you said that decision basically handed the decision-making authority back to the states regarding abortion and pro-life walls. So here in North Carolina – since soon after the review a decision was issued in 1973 North Carolina adopted a ban on abortions after 20 weeks, but essentially the exceptions to that band were so brawled as to allow abortions in many cases after 20 weeks in North Carolina, but in 2015 the North Carolina legislature enacted a provision in a bill that basically limited those exemptions from our 20 week band to medical emergencies, which was basically the life of the mother or the impairment of a major bodily function and so it really restricted abortion after 20 weeks in North Carolina because it was effective.

All Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion groups sued and sought to have the law overturned or enjoined it. In fact, in March 2019, a federal district court judge William O'Steen enjoined our 20 week band and he basically said that 20 week band violated the viability standard that was established in Roe V Wade in Planned Parenthood B. Tacy. Two major abortion rulings by the US Supreme Court and so effectively what he did was to employee a viability standard here in North Carolina so the effect of that was that an abortionist would make a determination of whether or not that unborn child is viable work and live outside the mother's womb, and survive.

And unfortunately and tragically, that subjective decision is put in the hands of the individual who was being paid to end the life of that unborn child and so that that is basically the current status of abortion in North Carolina right now our legislative leaders are seeking to have our 20 week band reinstated as judge O'Steen's decision was based on Roe V Wade now that Roe V Wade has been overturned. You know it's just logical that the 20 week band would be reinstated with that more extensive medical emergency exemption and so that makes us then more liberal then a lot of the states around us. That's why people are coming seriously going to be coming to my state exactly every right now South Carolina and Georgia both have her to his heartbeat laws and a lot of states put these in place before versus Wade was a rule and what that meant for some is what's the day came that was overruled.

These new laws were going to affect some of them passed on, and courts enjoined him. They were set up as what referred to this trigger laws they were to set up to pass a law and then the court said no you can't do that because a road will now I guess I South Carolina and Georgia have heartbeat laws which basically would band abortion as soon as a heartbeat can be detected which is around 24 days or six weeks gestational age of the unborn child and that would address other people's estimate as many as 95% of abortions. So what that means for those dates and then actually Tennessee and other bordering state basically has banned all abortions and what again all these laws do have exceptions written into them just what John referred to earlier as medical emergencies like when the mother's life in danger, but in effect they have will cut back abortions dramatically in these adjoining states, so that's why I like you say Tracy, what will happen. Logically is all those people who are seeking abortions from the states will see North Carolina is one that's much more open and this will be like to use a term but a destination state for people to come for abortions only. You guys feel the need to get moving on this talk little bit about what you can do what what are people saying legislature what kind of opposition do you expect from our Democrat governor.

Well, the governor clearly based on his past history with bills that would ban abortions for a variety of reasons. He's vetoed those bills and unfortunately the legislature has not had the votes clearly to override those vetoes. And so we have been talking with our legislative leaders.

We been encouraging them to give serious consideration and very soon to legislation that would essentially banning abortion in North Carolina either app, heartbeat, or even sooner than that, but they have responded to that saying that you know clearly that the governor is highly likely to if not guaranteed to vetoed those bills and so what they are really focusing on is obtaining pro-life super majorities in both chambers. The legislature this coming fall in the general election and then coming back in January. After that election and when the new legislature is seated and taking up legislation that would enact a heartbeat bill or a more significant abortion ban in North Carolina for people who may be politically these explain what you mean by super majorities well in order to override the governor's veto the legislature both chambers of the Gen. assembly have to have two thirds of members present and voting, to vote to override the veto and so currently in the statehouse. For example, there are 69 Republicans and they need 72 votes to override the gubernatorial veto so they need to have the entire Republican caucus and then three Democrats to vote to override the veto in the Senate.

They have to have 30 votes to override the veto and so Republicans hold 28 seats in the Senate. They need to Democrats to vote along with the entire Republican caucus in the Senate override the veto in those votes or just not clearly there, especially in the Senate.

It's a real challenge to even get to Democrats to vote in support of the pro-life measure like a heartbeat bill or what we saw this legislative session, a bill to ban eugenic abortions in North Carolina that would prohibit abortions that are sought because the race or the sex of the unborn child or diagnosis of Down syndrome that go past both chambers of the legislature was vetoed by Gov. Roy Cooper and the legislature just didn't take up the veto override vote because they weren't certain that they have the votes to do that so governor Cooper even that even that yes where along those lines.

Think about the upcoming elections we have judicial races and we saying that what happened with this recent US Supreme Court decision is the court recognize that the judges in the Roe decision stepped outside of their authority and that's where we need in the upcoming judicial elections that hopefully prayerfully have judges elected who understand the role of the judge is not to create new law because if a pro-life law is passed is very likely it would be challenged and come before the judges in North Carolina so I think it's important to note though that North Carolina does have some very good legislation that actively supports unborn children and their mothers and makes abortion less likely in our state to talk about some of those well thank you Tracy. I we been working for decades to secure strong pro-life laws while Roe V Wade has been kind of the law of the land so to speak. So we have laws still in place in North Carolina that require parental consent before a minor can obtain an abortion.

We have a women's right to know act that was passed in 2011 that ensures that a woman considering abortion has information that she need to make an informed decision. We call this informed consent that Bill was originally passed with a 24 hour waiting period after this information was provided to the pregnant mother and then several years ago that 24 hour waiting period was increased to 72 hours to ensure that the woman has ample time to make up in a consideration of the information that she has received before she decides if she should decide to go forward with the abortion, the legislature has also essentially eliminated taxpayer funding of abortions and appropriation of funds to groups like Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the nation, and instead has been making appropriations to support pregnancy care centers across the state who are really equipped to help women navigate decisions when they find themselves in. What's commonly referred to as a crisis pregnancy, the legislature is also banned sex selection abortions, which are sought because of the presumed sex of the unborn child and as well as a ban on the dispensing of abortifacient drugs via telehealth or over the Internet so we got a lot of really good laws in place but they don't get to the fundamental issue that we need to get to you, which is now the Roe V Wade is been overturned. We just need to simply banned practically all abortions in North Carolina. It is this is hard to quantify the effect of all is laws that some people of estimated the laws that are in place have reduced abortion by as much as 25% in North Carolina but is John saying we obviously want to go to the place were we protecting human life at conception from the beginning of human life and let me just say that the basis for that decision is that we believe that God has has created life to God is the creator and designer of life and every human being is valuable and worthy of protection. That's the fundamental basis from which we start. This is not just a political issue.

It is an issue of most fundamental faith belief that God is the creator of human life and that we as as a society need to recognize and honor that and have laws in place that that protect and preserve human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death at a time just to close. I can't remember a time during my adult life, at least, that there was so much angst and contention in our society, then the wine is over this issue are weak make it through this I we can turn the culture as well as some of these lies around while I feel certain that word did we have the capability to do that and we continue to pray and work to bring stability to this discussion and I you know, we see our culture growing more and more in its embracing of life and the recognition that the human life. It's a fundamental right that we have it, but if you don't have a fundamental right to life than all other rights and privileges that are supposedly guaranteed by the Constitution and the laws of our ordination in our state are meaningless. So you know I'm working to continue to work to do all that we can to advocate for the protection and the, the honoring of human life in North Carolina and in our country and so were hopeful that that we can prayerfully cut through that well either listeners to sign up for our emails and legislative alerts@ncfamily.org so that you can be informed, equipped and inspired to be a voice of persuasion for family values in your community, state and our nation. Thank you very much MC family Pres. John rest and NC family Council and Dir. of community impact Jerry Royale for joining us today. Family policy thank you Tracy.

You been listening to family policy matters. We hope you enjoyed the program and play the tune in again next week to listen to the show online insulin more about NC families work to an encourage and inspire families across Carolina go to our website@ncfamily.org that's NC family.org. Thanks again for listening and may God bless you and your family