CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed the state's new 12-week abortion ban, sending the legislation back to the Republican-controlled General Assembly.
Various medical and physician groups spoke out against the now-vetoed bill. The North Carolina Medical Society, the North Carolina Obstetrical and Gynecological Society, among other groups have voiced opposition to the "Care for Women, Child, and Families Act."
"This bill is not medically sound. I think there's a lot of misinformation,' Dr. Beverly Gray, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University, said on WCNC's Flashpoint.
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Gray said her colleagues tried to convince lawmakers to keep the state's current 20-week restriction, without success.
"We tried to counsel our legislators about what the realities are in medicine and kind of the realities that we face," she said.
Despite the broad opposition in the medical community, some doctors support the new abortion restrictions.
"This is such a hard and difficult topic. And it is not settled science," Dr. Susan Bane, Medical Director of the Choices Women's Center, in Wilson, N.C., said.
Bane opposes abortion from conception and says it's based on the oath she took as a physician.
"Those of us who practice Hippocratic medicine, we have to avoid intentionally causing harm. And I see both of my patients. And I want exceptional health care for both of them. I think some of my colleagues want exceptional health care for one patient. And I think that's where the difference lies," she said.
Governor Cooper was expected to veto the bill over the weekend. If Republicans stay united, they'll have the votes to override his veto.
Politically, republicans have painted the provision as a compromise; less than the current 20 weeks, and more than the 6 weeks like some states like Florida have passed.
"I think that compared to Florida, it's better, but that's very draconian in Florida," Susan Roberts, political professor at Davidson College, said.
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