North Carolina lawmakers approve ban on abortion after 12 weeks

The North Carolina Senate on Thursday approved a ban on abortion after 12 weeks, ratifying the measure already approved by the state House of Representatives on Wednesday. However, it is more than foreseeable that the bill will not go forward because of the veto power of Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.

The state Senate voted 29-20 to approve the ban. North Carolina currently prohibits abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The Republican Party, which has a supermajority in the North Carolina House, adds The Tar Heel State to the nation's wave of anti-abortion policies following the Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson, which overturned Roe v. Wade and the alleged constitutional right to abortion. States such as Florida and North Dakota have made progress in recent weeks with their own abortion bans.

However, on this occasion, the law will run up against the state governor's veto. Democrat Roy Cooper called the measure "extreme" and hinted that he will refuse to sign it into law, which will test the Republican majority in the House and Senate. Cooper called on several Republican senators to help him sustain the veto.