Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina signed an amendment to the state’s 12-week abortion ban into law late Thursday evening.
The legislation is currently under review by a federal judge after a lawsuit was filed by Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, who argued that the law was vague and potentially violated women’s constitutional rights, according to CNN. Republicans introduced and passed an amendment Tuesday to the bill to clarify some of the language, which Roy signed before the new abortion law takes effect on July 1.
The amendment was designed to combat the impending lawsuit, according to CNN. The changes include removing a requirement that physicians providing drugs for medication abortions verify that the gestational age for a developing fetus “is no more than 70 days,” the text reads.
The changes also included a line stating the bill applied to the “laws pertaining to the Department of Health and Human Services.”
Cooper made his dislike of the abortion ban clear in a statement, but said the last-minute changes provided necessary clarification, according to a press release.
“In addition to being dangerous for women, the rushed abortion ban was so poorly written that it is causing real uncertainty for doctors and other health care providers,” Cooper said. “This bill is important to clarify the rules and provide some certainty, however, we will continue fighting on all fronts the Republican assault on women’s reproductive freedom.”
The initial bill, which was passed in May, restricts abortions to 12 weeks and includes exceptions for rape and incest at 20 weeks, as well as exceptions for a fetal “life-limiting anomaly” at 24 weeks, according to the text. Cooper previously vetoed the bill after it was first passed by the legislature, but it was overridden by the state’s GOP majority.
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