As of July 1, 2023, abortion in North Carolina is currently illegal after 12 weeks of pregnancy.[1][2] In the case of rape or incest, abortion is legal through the 20th week of pregnancy. In the case of a "life-limiting" fetal abnormality, abortion is legal through the 24th week of pregnancy. If the woman's life is determined by a qualified physician to be at risk, abortion is legal at any stage of pregnancy.[3][4] North Carolina is a destination for many out-of-state women seeking abortions, as most US Southern states have implemented laws banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy or near-total prohibitions on abortion.[5]
Abortion related legislation existed in North Carolina by 1900, which included a therapeutic exception. National research carried out in 1967 included North Carolina data to derive estimates related to abortion procedures. State Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws were in place by 2013.[6] North Carolina abortion laws have been before the federal judiciary, including in March 2019 when U.S. District Judge William Osteen formally struck down North Carolina's life of the mother only 20-week abortion ban.[7]
The number of abortion-providing facilities in North Carolina, including freestanding abortion clinics, has declined over the years, with: 114 facilities providing abortions in 1982, 86 facilities providing abortions in 1992, 27 facilities providing abortions in 2014 (16 of which were freestanding abortion clinics), and 26 facilities providing abortions in 2017 (14 of which were freestanding clinics).[8][9] The total number of abortions in the state have generally declined over time, with a 36% decrease from 1980 to 2013.[10] There is an abortion rights activist community in the state, with women participating in the #YouKnowMe movement, and in the #StoptheBans movement in May 2019. There is also an anti-abortion rights movement in the state.
In 2017, Lindsay Beyerstein and Martyna Starosta directed Care in Chaos, a short documentary that centered around the experiences of an abortion clinic director dealing with daily anti-abortion protesting outside of an abortion clinic in Charlotte, North Carolina.[11] This documentary won the category of "best documentary short" at the Nevada International Film Festival.[11]
- ^ "Senate Bill 20 / SL 2023-14 (2023-2024 Session) - North Carolina General Assembly". www.ncleg.gov. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ "State Facts About Abortion: North Carolina". CBS News. August 17, 2022.
- ^ Crumpler, Rachel (June 30, 2023). "NC's new abortion restrictions take effect tomorrow. Here's what to expect". North Carolina Health News. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ "AN ACT TO MAKE VARIOUS CHANGES TO HEALTH CARE LAWS AND TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR HEALTH CARE PROGRAMS" (PDF). www.ncleg.gov. 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ Robertson, Gary D.; Makiya, Seminera (July 27, 2024). "Judge strikes down a North Carolina abortion restriction but upholds another". apnews.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ "Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers". Guttmacher Institute. March 14, 2016. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ Schwartz, Matthew S. (March 27, 2019). "Federal Judge Blocks North Carolina Ban On Abortions Later Than 20 Weeks". NPR.org. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ "State Facts About Abortion: North Carolina". Guttmacher Institute. January 26, 2016. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ Jones RK, Witwer E and Jerman J, Abortion Incidence and Service Availability in the United States, 2017, New York: Guttmacher Institute, 2019.
- ^ Alvey, Jeniece; Bryant, Amy G.; Curtis, Siân; Speizer, Ilene S.; Morgan, S. Philip; Tippett, Rebecca; Hodgkinson, Jennifer C.; Perreira, Krista (November 2017). "Trends in Abortion Incidence and Availability in North Carolina, 1980–2013". Southern Medical Journal. 110 (11): 714–721. doi:10.14423/SMJ.0000000000000726. ISSN 0038-4348. PMC 5672819. PMID 29100222.
- ^ a b "Rewire.News Award-Winning Documentary: Care in Chaos". Rewire.News. July 11, 2017. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.