NC chief justice, Senate candidate Beasley believes abortion is Constitutional right

Cheri Beasley is the leading Democratic candidate for North Carolina's open Senate seat. She'll likely face the winner of the Republican primary in November.

As a political candidate and chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, she is keenly interested in the leak earlier this week that shows the U.S. Supreme Court planning to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that made abortion legal in the 1970s.

She told WRAL News that right and 50 years of precedent are worth protecting.

“Abortion is supported by the majority of North Carolinians and the majority of Americans," Beasley said. "We need to be responsive and respect that constitutional right, and the Senate really must codify Roe vs. Wade.”

By codifying Roe, abortion access would be protected by federal law.

A longtime member of the judicial branch, Beasley doesn't believe in packing the court, a move suggested by some progressive Democrats.

"I think each branch is charged with executing its own duties, and the Senate is charged with making law and the Supreme Court is charged with interpreting the law," she said.