RALEIGH, NC – North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory has signed into law tougher regulations on abortion clinics that supporters say will enhance safety and opponents contend will force most to close.

McCrory said Monday the law he signed doesn’t limit access to abortion clinics.

The law directs the Republican governor’s Department of Health and Human Services to regulate abortion clinics using the same standards as those for outpatient surgical centers.

Opponents say that would effectively close most of the state’s 16 abortion clinics since only one now meets those standards. A state regulatory official says an ambulatory surgical center costs about $1 million more to build than an abortion clinic and it’s unclear how much it would cost existing clinics to convert to higher standards.