{"id":273058,"date":"2022-07-25T17:34:19","date_gmt":"2022-07-25T22:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=273058"},"modified":"2022-07-25T08:26:43","modified_gmt":"2022-07-25T13:26:43","slug":"north-carolina-20-week-abortion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/north-carolina-20-week-abortion\/","title":{"rendered":"North Carolina AG will not ask for 20-week abortion ban to be put in place"},"content":{"rendered":"
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North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein has declined to ask the court to reinstate the state’s 20-week abortion ban. The ban, which has been in place for decades, was overturned<\/a> in 2019 following lawsuits from abortion providers. However, the Supreme Court’s recent overturn of Roe v. Wade<\/em> meant there was a good chance that the state court would dismiss the lawsuits and allow the law to stand. Stein, however, has said that he is unwilling to ask the court to reconsider its injunction.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Department of Justice will not take action that would restrict women\u2019s ability to make their own reproductive health care decisions,\u201d Stein said. \u201cProtecting that ability is more important than ever, as states across the nation are banning abortions in all instances, including rape and incest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stein’s refusal comes after a request from Republican lawmakers that he ask the courts to uphold the law.\u00a0\u201cNo one should be surprised that Josh Stein is in the abortion-on-demand camp,\u201d said<\/a> Senate leader Phil Berger. \u201cHowever, he swore an oath to uphold and enforce North Carolina law, and this is the latest example of his refusal to do his job.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ: North Carolina governor welcomes out-of-state abortion seekers with executive order<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Speaker of the House, Rep. Tim Moore, said that lawmakers are “exploring all options to defend the law and protect life in North Carolina.”<\/p>\n

“Despite his faux outrage, Josh Stein knows full well that the 20-week ban on the books does not limit women’s freedom, but protects the unborn when they are capable of feeling pain in the womb,” Moore said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Though rare, abortions after 20 weeks have occurred since the restriction was rescinded three years ago; 2020 state statistics<\/a> reveal that roughly 48 preborn children were killed after 20 weeks that year. Most second-trimester abortions committed around the 20-week mark are surgical D&E abortions, in which the preborn child is torn apart limb by limb. Former abortionist Dr. Kathi Aultman describes the horrific procedure in this video:<\/p>\n