North Carolina governor vetoes bill banning most abortions after 12 weeks in front of charged crowd

The Democrat governor of North Carolina theatrically vetoed a bill which would all but ban abortion in his state - setting the stage for a clash with the Republican-controlled House and Senate.

Roy Cooper, who is strongly pro-choice, held a rally on Saturday in his capital, Raleigh.

In front of a crowd waving placards proclaiming 'politicians make crappy doctors,' Cooper brandished his rubber veto stamp.

'There are three things that I need to do,' he declared.

'First, I need a veto message - an official veto message that I must sign. The second thing I need to do is give it the veto stamp.'

The crowd erupted in wild applause, as the 65-year-old former attorney general dramatically stamped the document.

Roy Cooper, the Democratic governor of North Carolina, is seen on Saturday stamping his veto on a bill to ban abortion after 12 weeks

Cooper organized a rally on Saturday to celebrate his stamping of the veto

'The veto stamp has been applied. Now it's time for me to sign under the veto stamp,' he said, pausing to sign. 

'We now have a vetoed bill,' he thundered.

Such legislative procedures are usually done without fanfare, and behind closed doors. 

But Cooper's high profile performance illustrates the stakes of the battle: Republicans are now set on overriding Cooper's veto, and Cooper must fight to ensure that does not happen.

Four Republicans - three members of the state House and one state senator - have vowed to protect abortion rights. 

Their party leaders will try and convince them to abandon their positions and tow the party line: Cooper is intent on keeping them on his side.

If both chambers approve the override by three-fifths majority, the bill becomes law. If it does not get the votes, then Cooper's veto remains. 

An abortion rights activist is seen on Saturday in Raleigh, North Carolina

A group of doctors stood on stage with Cooper as he vetoed the bill

The bill whizzed through the legislature in fewer than 48 hours in early May, drawing criticism from Democrats and abortion rights supporters who urged a period of lengthier analysis and debate typical for such legislation.

The measure would ban elective abortions after 12 weeks, except in cases of rape, incest, life-limiting fetal anomalies and medical emergencies.

It would also require doctors to be present when abortion medication is given and those seeking medical abortions to have an in-person consultation with a doctor 72 hours before the procedure. 

That would make it more difficult for out-of-state abortion seekers to obtain the service in North Carolina.

Republican lawmakers called the bill 'common-sense legislation' that represented a compromise that stopped short of the more restrictive bans opposed by a majority of U.S. voters. 

Democratic opponents called it 'devastatingly cruel,' and said it would force women into seeking illegal abortions.

The bill includes funding for foster and child care as well as paid parental leave.

Kamala Harris, the vice president, condemned the bill, tweeting on May 4 that the bill was 'extreme' and risked women's lives.

'Republican elected officials in North Carolina have passed an extreme abortion ban that would interfere with critical medical care and put women's health and lives at risk,' she said.

'@POTUS and I will continue to fight to restore the protections of Roe under federal law.'

Cooper on Saturday told the rally: 'This bill has nothing to do with making women safer and everything to do with banning abortion.

Cooper is seen with his veto stamp, as doctors behind him cheer

'If just one Republican finds the courage, if just one Republican listens to doctors, if just one Republican is unafraid to stand up to the political bosses, if just one Republican keeps that promise made to the people, then we can stop this ban.'

Demi Dowdy, a spokesperson for Republican House Speaker Tim Moore, told CNN she is confident lawmakers will override Cooper's veto and dismissed his efforts to 'press these Republican members into voting his way.' 

Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the anti-abortion group North Carolina Values Coalition, criticized Cooper for vetoing the bill and for holding his rally the day before Mother's Day.

'His actions would crush provisions to give women more opportunities to choose life, improve safety standards of clinics, and stop the barbaric painful practice of partial birth abortion,' she said.

Near-total abortion bans have taken effect in 14 states since the U.S. Supreme Court revoked federal abortion rights in June 2022, according to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights advocacy research group.

Abortions in North Carolina rose by 37 percent, more than any other state, in the first two months after the ruling, according to a study by the Society of Family Planning, a nonprofit that promotes abortion rights and research.

North Carolina had been a haven for women seeking abortion care as Southern states tightened restrictions.