News of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling, and effectively end federal protections for safe abortions, sent several local and North Carolina leaders to social media Friday morning to share their thoughts.
After a draft decision leaked in May foreshadowed the conservative-majority court’s potential stance on the case, the official ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was released on Friday. In it, five of the eight current justices ruled that because the U.S. Constitution makes no immediate reference to abortion, the right to one is not protected by the federal government nor by previous court rulings. The decision now opens up the chance for states to enact their own laws on abortion access and care, more than half of which appear to be set to outlaw the healthcare practice.
In North Carolina, the right to a safe abortion is still protected. Two of the state’s top elected officials, Governor Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein, each shared thoughts on Friday’s ruling and North Carolina’s access.
Many eyes will turn now to the North Carolina General Assembly to see if that access will remain. With general midterm elections awaiting in November, the Republican party needs a net gain of three seats in the state House of Representatives and two seats in the state Senate to regain a supermajority — or the amount of votes needed for lawmakers to override a veto from the governor if voting along party lines.
Two state senators representing Orange, Chatham and Durham counties shared their immediate reactions to the overturning of Roe v. Wade: Sen. Valerie Foushee, who is running for U.S. Congress, and Sen. Natalie Murdock.
At the local government level, several Orange County leaders shared their thoughts too, including Hillsborough Mayor Jenn Weaver, Chapel Hill Town Council member Amy Ryan and CHCCS school board member Rani Dasi.
https://twitter.com/Jenn_E_Weaver/status/1540349699185643522
https://twitter.com/amy4chapelhill/status/1540363198049751041?s=20&t=V5jK-kh-vERImt8MK6OGwg
https://twitter.com/ranidasi/status/1540344836238282752
Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP President Dawna Jones shared several resources that support people in need of abortion care, while the chapter itself shared plans to hold a rally in downtown Chapel Hill Saturday morning.
https://twitter.com/shesath1nker/status/1540345101896953857?s=20&t=rpqZo3_fHk8W1HEckY0TfQ
Photo via AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.
Related Stories
‹
![]()
Judge Orders Texas To Suspend New Law Banning Most AbortionsWritten by PAUL J. WEBER A federal judge ordered Texas to suspend the most restrictive abortion law in the U.S., calling it an “offensive deprivation” of a constitutional right by banning most abortions in the nation’s second-most populous state since September. The order Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman is the first legal blow to the […]
Orange, Chatham and Durham Elected Officials Share Reactions to New NC Abortion LawThe North Carolina General Assembly overrode a veto from Governor Roy Cooper Tuesday night, deciding along party lines to make a bill limiting most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy law. It’s the latest measure passed in the U.S. following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 and it reduces North Carolina’s […]
Biden’s Efforts To Protect Abortion Access Hit RoadblocksWritten by AMANDA SEITZ and COLLEEN LONG The Biden administration is still actively searching for ways to safeguard abortion access for millions of women, even as it bumps up against a complex web of strict new state laws enacted in the months after the Supreme Court stripped the constitutional right. Looking to seize on momentum following a midterm […]
![]()
Texas 6-Week Abortion Ban Takes Effect, With High Court MumWritten by MARK SHERMAN A Texas law banning most abortions in the state took effect at midnight, but the Supreme Court has yet to act on an emergency appeal to put the law on hold. If allowed to remain in force, the law would be the most dramatic restriction on abortion rights in the United […]
A North Carolina Republican Who Mocked Women for Abortions Runs Ad With His Wife’s Own StoryNorth Carolina Republican gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson is running ads about abortion after being battered by opponents on the topic.
An Appeals Court Backs Some Abortion Drug Limits, Pending the Supreme Court’s ApprovalWritten by KEVIN MCGILL Mail-order access to a drug used in the most common form of abortion in the U.S. would end under a federal appeals court ruling issued Wednesday that cannot take effect until the Supreme Court weighs in. The decision by three judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans overturned […]
North Carolina Governor Vetoes Abortion Limits, Launches Override ShowdownWritten by HANNAH SCHOENBAUM and GARY D. ROBERTSON In front of an exuberant crowd, North Carolina’s Democratic governor vetoed legislation Saturday that would have banned nearly all abortions in his state after 12 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion-rights activists and voters watched on a plaza in the capital of Raleigh as Gov. Roy Cooper affixed his […]
Duke Health Experts Share Concerns Over North Carolina's Abortion BillThe Republican-led General Assembly passed new abortion restrictions in North Carolina on Thursday. While Governor Roy Cooper has said he’ll veto the measure, many medical experts and abortion rights advocates shared their opposition and concerns. That included a pair of Duke Health professionals, who spoke with the media Thursday to detail their expectations […]
Competing Abortion Pill Rulings Sow Broad Alarm, ConfusionWritten by BOBBY CAINA CALVAN and KEN MILLER Emma Hernandez is defiant even if she fears what may come in the latest stage of the nation’s fight over abortion: a widening prohibition to safe and legal ways to end unwanted pregnancies, including access to abortion pills. Competing rulings by two federal judges over the availability […]
'Tragically Ripped Away': North Carolina, Local Leaders React to Supreme Court Decision on AbortionsNews of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling, and effectively end federal protections for safe abortions, sent several local and North Carolina leaders to social media Friday morning to share their thoughts. After a draft decision leaked in May foreshadowed the conservative-majority court’s potential stance on the case, the […]
›
