-
New law strengthens protections for children in the womb, provides mothers life-changing care
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Matt Hadro
matt.hadro@pinkston.co
May 17, 2023, DALLAS, Texas — Human Coalition on Wednesday applauded the North Carolina legislature for voting to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of Senate Bill 20, the Care for Women, Children, and Families Act. The legislation combines strong protections for children in the womb with increased funding for maternal care and support.
Rev. Dean Nelson, VP of Government Relations for Human Coalition, issued the following statement:
“I want to praise Senator Phil Berger, Speaker Tim Moore, and all the members who took a principled stand for life yesterday. Gov. Cooper’s public veto of a bill that included so much support for vulnerable women – on Mother’s Day weekend, of all times – was utterly shameful. North Carolina has sadly become an abortion destination in the last year, but this landmark legislation will change that by including both critical protections for human life in the womb and support for vulnerable mothers.
“In our experience at Human Coalition, 76% of women seeking abortion say they would choose to parent if their circumstances were different. This bill provides them so many tangible and helpful benefits such as paid leave, child care assistance, education grants, and funding to reduce maternal mortality and improve pregnancy care. This is transformational support, and I applaud the members who held fast and decided to enact this life-saving bill.”
In addition to prohibiting abortions after 12 weeks, the Care for Women, Children, and Families Act prohibits “eugenic” abortions based on the “race, sex or the ‘presumed presence of Down syndrome’”; prohibits partial-birth abortions; and requires doctors to provide necessary care to babies who survive botched abortions.
The legislation includes funding to reduce maternal mortality; establishes paid parental leave for state employees; increases funding for “Finish Line” education grants for new mothers; increases child care subsidies; includes funding for adoption and foster care services; and boosts funding for pregnancy care through Medicaid. It also includes protections for women, strengthening punishments for an assault on a pregnant woman.
About Human Coalition
Human Coalition is one of the largest pro-life, pro-woman, and pro-family organizations in the country, committed to making abortion unthinkable and unnecessary. Founded in 2009, Human Coalition has grown from a simple internet outreach idea into a comprehensive care network that reaches women facing unexpected pregnancies, rescues innocent preborn children from abortion, and restores families to stability.