Today the North Carolina House of Representatives approved H.B. 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 (ACLU-NC) 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 H.B. 716.”
Read more about the ACLU-NC’s position on H.B. 716 here.
Joining the ACLU-NC in its opposition to H.B. 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 (NIRH).
During his campaign for governor, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory vowed to sign no further restrictions on abortion in the state.