The North Carolina legislature succeeded Tuesday in overriding Gov. Roy Cooper‘s (D-NC) veto of abortion restrictions after his statewide public pressure campaign failed to flip one legislator in either chamber.
Cooper vetoed a 12-week abortion ban Saturday, “compromise” legislation enacted to reduce the Tar Heel State’s notoriety as an abortion destination in the South. The restriction would still be more permissive than most other states in the South.
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The Republican Party holds one-person supermajorities in the state House and Senate after state Rep. Tricia Cotham left the Democratic Party for the GOP last month.
Folks for and against #SB20, the North Carolina abortion restrictions bill, are in the Legislative Building ahead of the veto override votes. #ncga #ncpol pic.twitter.com/S22D2DbOow
— Dawn B. Vaughan (@dawnbvaughan) May 16, 2023
Republican leadership expressed confidence heading into the vote, with House GOP Speaker Tim Moore saying he expected his entire caucus to back the override. Similarly, on Saturday, Senate GOP President Pro Tempore Phil Berger said, “I look forward to promptly overriding his veto.”
The state Senate was the first to vote to override Cooper’s veto Tuesday evening in a vote of 30-20, meeting the three-fifths threshold needed.
After the vote, four female Republican senators issued a statement, saying, “This is a monumental moment for women, children, and families in North Carolina. Our bill puts to rest all of the noise and lies we’ve been hearing this past week, and brings to life a culture that cherishes motherhood and saves the lives of the unborn.”
In a late-night vote, the House also voted to override along party lines, 72-48. The House erupted in chaos and yells of “shame” after the vote.
With both chambers overriding Cooper’s veto, the bill will become law, and North Carolina will restrict abortions at 12 weeks gestation immediately.
Before the vote, Cooper traveled to the constituencies of Republican members he believed he could persuade to vote in his favor. In addition, abortion giant Planned Parenthood and the Democratic Socialists of America held rallies and attempted to pressure Republican members in politically split districts to uphold Cooper’s veto.
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Anti-abortion organizations got involved as well, with Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and North Carolina Values Coalition running digital ads and meeting with lawmakers about the bill.
“The battleground state of North Carolina has taken a major step forward in the fight for life,” SBA President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a press release. “By defying Gov. Cooper’s bully tactics and standing for the will of the people, the General Assembly modeled great courage on the issue of life. Elected officials and candidates across this country should take note how pro-life leaders stood up to the extreme abortion agenda of the Democrats to protect life and serve mothers.”
