A bill that would further limit legal access to abortion in the state took its first step toward becoming law Tuesday, with a favorable vote in the N.C. House Health Committee.
House Bill 453 would prohibit a doctor from performing an abortion if a pregnant woman wants one due to the race of the fetus or the detection of Down syndrome during pregnancy.
Republican lawmakers argue the law is necessary to prevent doctors from pressuring pregnant women to get abortions and to prevent women aborting children due to race or genetic profiling, which they compare to eugenics.
“As a child psychiatrist, a physician who has spent my life defending the most vulnerable,” said Rep. Kristin Baker (R-Cabarrus), co-chair of the Health committee. “I think we as a society will be judged by whether or not we speak for those who cannot or may not be able to speak for themselves,”
ABC News
Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest?
OffOn
N Carolina GOP advances bill to ban Down syndrome abortions
North Carolina Republican lawmakers have advanced a bill to make it illegal for physicians to perform abortions because of the fetusâ race or a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome
By BRYAN ANDERSON Associated Press/Report for America
May 4, 2021, 6:01 PM
⢠4 min read
Supreme Court strikes down restrictive abortion law in Louisiana
In a 5 to 4 vote, the court said the law would place an undue burden on women seeking an abortion.ABCNews.com
RALEIGH, N.C. North Carolina lawmakers on Tuesday advanced a bill to make it illegal for physicians to perform abortions because of the fetus race or a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome.