Cooper signs new changes to NC abortion law, addressing issues from Planned Parenthood lawsuit
New changes to North Carolina's abortion law are now law. Republican lawmakers wrote and passed them this week, to address problems raised in a federal lawsuit by Planned Parenthood.
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper signed the changes into law Thursday afternoon, saying he was glad Republicans fixed at least some of what opponents saw as problems with the original bill. A lawyer for the legislature acknowledged some of the problems in court this week but said they were acting quickly to fix those problems — through this bill that Cooper just signed.
The legislature is hoping that these new changes will convince the federal judge overseeing the case not to block parts of the law, which is scheduled to go into effect Saturday. A ruling on that issue is expected Friday.
So although the bill becoming law could help Republicans in their legal arguments, Cooper said he signed it to help women and doctors, and not because he suddenly sides with Republicans on the broader issue of restricting abortion access.
"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 wrote when he announced his decision. "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."
When Planned Parenthood sued North Carolina over the abortion law, it pointed out a number of potentially unconstitutional provisions in it. Some new regulations for doctors providing abortions were impossible to comply with. Some parts of the law directly contradicted other existing laws. And yet other new rules, Planned Parenthood claimed, were unacceptably vague — potentially forcing women or doctors to have to just guess as to whether their actions might break the law or not.
Both the legislature and Planned Parenthood agree that the new law will fix some of those problems. They disagree, however, on whether it fixes everything.
That question will be up to U.S. District Court Judge Catherine Eagles to decide. She heard the arguments Wednesday and promised that she would be taking into consideration what action Cooper took before issuing her ruling.
