2023: Jennifer Balkcom Voted To Ban Abortion At 12 Weeks In North Carolina With Limited Exceptions, Causing Reproductive Health Providers To Leave The State

May 2023: Balkcom Voted For North Carolina’s 12-Week Abortion Ban

May 2023: Balkcom Voted For S.B. 20, “An Act To Make Various Changes To Health Care Laws And To Appropriate Funds For Health Care Programs.” In May 2023, Balkcom voted for S.B. 20, “an act to make various changes to health care laws and to appropriate funds for health care programs.” The motion passed by a vote of 71-46-0-3. [North Carolina General Assembly, S.B. 20, 5/3/23]

• Duke University Obstetrics & Gynecology: S.B. 20 Would Enact A 12-Week Abortion Ban In North Carolina. “Unfortunately, despite clear evidence that restricting access to abortion harms the health and wellness of women, that states with abortion restrictions have worse maternal health outcomes, including mortality, and with opposition by both the state and national medical community, last night, the North Carolina General Assembly overrode Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of SB20. The law, which includes a 12-week abortion ban and other restrictions, will go into effect on July 1, 2023. Note: Duke Ob/Gyn will continue to provide care as we have been until July 1, 2023.” [Duke University Obstetrics & Gynecology, 5/17/23]

May 2023: Balkcom Voted To Overturn The Governor’s Veto Of North Carolina’s 12-Week Abortion Ban

May 2023: Governor Roy Cooper Vetoed S.B. 20, Calling It A “Dangerous Abortion Ban That Would Have Devastating Impacts On Women’s Reproductive Health Care In North Carolina.” “Today, Governor Roy Cooper joined the North Carolina Reproductive Freedom Coalition at a rally for health care freedom. During the rally, Governor Cooper vetoed Senate Bill 20, the dangerous abortion ban that would have devastating impacts on women’s reproductive health care in North Carolina. The veto message returned with the bill read as follows: ‘This bill will create dangerous interference with the doctor-patient relationship, leading to harm for pregnant women and their families. With its medically unnecessary obstacles and restrictions, it will make abortion unavailable to many women, particularly those with lower incomes, those who live in rural areas, and those who already have limited access to health care.’ The bill is opposed by the North Carolina Medical Society, the North Carolina Obstetrical and Gynecological Society and the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians. Governor Cooper was joined on stage by doctors and women as he vetoed the bill. ‘Let’s be clear - this bill has nothing to do with making women safer, and everything to do with banning abortion,’ said Governor Cooper at the rally. ‘How about we leave medicine to the doctors and the decisions to the women.’” [North Carolina Office of the Governor, Press Release, 5/13/26]

May 2023: Balkcom Voted To Override The Governor’s Veto Of S.B. 20, “An Act To Make Various Changes To Health Care Laws And To Appropriate Funds For Health Care Programs.” In May 2023, Balkcom voted to override the Governor’s veto of S.B. 20, “an act to make various changes to health care laws and to appropriate funds for health care programs.” The motion passed by a vote of 72-48-0-0. [North Carolina General Assembly, S.B. 20, 5/16/23]

• May 2023: Balkcom Celebrated Lawmakers Overriding The Governor’s Veto Of S.B. 20. “Life won!

Image: see original report, p. 64

.” [Jennifer Balkcom for North Carolina House District 117, Facebook, 5/17/23

Image: see original report, p. 64

[Jennifer Balkcom for North Carolina House District 117, Facebook, 5/17/23]

S.B. 20 Banned Most Abortions At 12 Weeks, With A 20-Week Cutoff For Pregnancy Resulting From Rape Or Incest, And A 24 Week Cutoff For Fetal Anomalies, And An Exception For Medical Emergencies

S.B. 20 Banned Abortion After 12 Weeks, With Exceptions Allowed If There Was A Medical Emergency For The Pregnant Woman, “Through The 20th Week Of Pregnancy If The Pregnancy Resulted From Rape Or Incest,” And Through The 24th Week Of Pregnancy If The Fetus Had “A Life-Limiting Anomaly.” “Part I of S.L. 2023-14, as amended by Part XIII-B and Part XIV of S.L. 2023-65, repeals and replaces the current abortion law in North Carolina. Under the new law, abortion is permitted through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy for any reason, through the 20th week of pregnancy if the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest, through the 24th week of pregnancy if there is a life-limiting anomaly in the unborn child, and at any time if there is a medical emergency for the pregnant woman. Part I also bifurcates the definition of abortion into surgical and medical abortions and creates new informed consent provisions for both. Finally, Part I criminalizes the provision or advertising of abortion- inducing drugs in certain circumstances, prohibits eugenic abortions, and establishes reporting requirements for abortion. This bill was vetoed by the Governor on May 14, 2023. The veto was overridden by the General Assembly on May 16, 2023. This Part of the act became effective July 1, 2023, and the criminal provisions apply to any offenses committed on or after that date.” [North Carolina General Assembly, S.B. 20, 5/4/23]

• June 2023: News & Observer: The North Carolina General Assembly Voted To Override The Governor’s Veto Of SB 20, Banning “Most Abortions After 12 Weeks.” “The North Carolina General Assembly voted to override a veto from the governor on Tuesday, imposing more abortion restrictions in the state. Republicans have a veto-proof supermajority in the General Assembly — by a single vote in both the House and the Senate. In order for Republicans to override a veto from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, every vote counts. All 170 state lawmakers were present for the votes, which fell along party lines. The House voted 72-48 and the Senate voted 30-20, providing exactly the margin needed for an override. Senate Bill 20 is now law in North Carolina, with new abortion restrictions going into effect on July 1. The new state law bans most abortions after 12 weeks. The law has exceptions for rape and incest up to 20 weeks and up to 24 weeks for ‘life-limiting’ fetal anomalies. There is no restriction on abortion if the life of the mother is deemed to be at risk.” [News & Observer, 6/20/23]
• July 2023: North Carolina’s 12 Week Abortion Ban Went Into Effect. “Last month, against a backdrop of angry protesters, Republican lawmakers narrowly overrode Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of North Carolina’s most restrictive abortion law in more than 50 years. The new law — if it survives legal challenges — will impact all abortion clinics in the state, even those that rarely perform second-trimester abortions, beginning on July 1. In addition to dropping the gestational cutoff from 20 weeks to 12, the legislation introduces mandatory in-person appointments and onerous new paperwork requirements (or ‘death by a thousand paper cuts,’ as one doctor put it).” [News & Observer, 6/22/23]
• December 2025: Abortion Remained Banned In North Carolina After 12 Weeks Of Pregnancy. “Abortion is banned after 12 weeks of pregnancy. An executive order shields those seeking or providing abortions in North Carolina from laws in other states.” [New York Times, 12/5/25]

Image: see original report, p. 65

[New York Times, 12/5/25]

2023: S.B. 20 Criminalized “The Provision Or Advertising Of Abortion-Inducing Drugs In Certain Circumstances. “Part I of S.L. 2023-14, as amended by Part XIII-B and Part XIV of S.L. 2023-65, repeals and replaces the current abortion law in North Carolina. Under the new law, abortion is permitted through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy for any reason, through the 20th week of pregnancy if the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest, through the 24th week of pregnancy if there is a life-limiting anomaly in the unborn child, and at any time if there is a medical emergency for the pregnant woman. Part I also bifurcates the definition of abortion into surgical and medical abortions and creates new informed consent provisions for both. Finally, Part I criminalizes the provision or advertising of abortion-inducing drugs in certain circumstances, prohibits eugenic abortions, and establishes reporting requirements for abortion. This bill was vetoed by the Governor on May 14, 2023. The veto was overridden by the General Assembly on May 16, 2023. This Part of the act became effective July 1, 2023, and the criminal provisions apply to any offenses committed on or after that date.” [North Carolina General Assembly, SB 20, 5/4/23]

2025: Under North Carolina’s 12-Week Abortion Ban, Providers Had To Delay Care To Women Experiencing Miscarriage To Avoid Legal Repercussions

July 2025: NC Health News Headline: “Delays, Confusion, Adaptation Mark First Two Years Of NC’s Stricter Abortion Law: Doctors Say Restrictions, Vague Language And Legal Fears Have Led To Some Delays In Treatment Of Miscarriages And Urgent Pregnancy Complications.” [NC Health News, 7/24/25]

July 2025: North Carolina’s Abortion Law Forced Providers To Delay Care Of Some Pregnant Patients Because Procedures That Were Standard Treatment Became “Banned Practice.” “In the past two years, North Carolina’s stricter abortion law has changed the way Jamila Wade treats a small portion of pregnant patients she sees in the emergency room. They’re clearly losing their pregnancies, but the pregnant patient’s vital signs are still stable. Wade, head of the OB-GYN department at Iredell Memorial Hospital in Statesville, said she’s had to delay care in a few cases because procedures that were standard treatment not that long ago are now banned practice. Distinguishing between the two can be fraught with uncertainty for many providers as they adapt to the new reality.” [NC Health News, 7/24/25]

For Patients That Were Clearly Miscarrying But Were Farther Than 12 Weeks Along, North Carolina’s Abortion Law Required Doctors To Wait Until They Were Experiencing A “Medical Emergency” To Intervene. “In the past two years, North Carolina’s stricter abortion law has changed the way Jamila Wade treats a small portion of pregnant patients she sees in the emergency room. They’re clearly losing their pregnancies, but the pregnant patient’s vital signs are still stable. Wade, head of the OB-GYN department at Iredell Memorial Hospital in Statesville, said she’s had to delay care in a few cases because procedures that were standard treatment not that long ago are now banned practice. Distinguishing between the two can be fraught with uncertainty for many providers as they adapt to the new reality. The treatment for a miscarriage often requires a doctor to empty the uterus to prevent life-threatening infections or hemorrhages for the pregnant patient. If the fetus has not yet died, in effect, this is an abortion. The state’s 2023 law allows for abortions after 12 weeks when a doctor finds there’s a ‘medical emergency’ that requires an ‘immediate abortion…to avert’ the patient’s death — or there’s a serious risk of substantial ‘impairment of a major bodily function.’” [NC Health News, 7/24/25]

2025: A North Carolina OB-GYN Said Her Patient Had To Endure 12 Hours Of Painful Labor To Deliver A Miscarried Pregnancy, And The Doctor Could Not Help Her Due To The Abortion Ban

North Carolina Doctor Jamila Wade Recounted An Instance In Which A Patient Was Forced To Endure Twelve Hours Of Painful Labor To Complete A Non-Viable Miscarriage Due To North Carolina’s Abortion Ban. “In one instance, Wade recalled a patient who had come to the ER who was 18 weeks pregnant and miscarrying. ‘The baby was partly out of the uterus but had not completely delivered, but the baby still had a heartbeat, so we literally could not do anything,’ Wade said. She said the patient’s husband was furious and demanded that she and her staff intervene. ‘He’s like, ‘My wife, she’s in pain.’ And I was like, ‘I know she is in pain. I’m trying as much as I can to control her pain and make this more comfortable for her. But unfortunately, because of the law, I am kind of forced not to act in this situation unless she becomes more unstable,’ Wade said. ‘He just felt helpless for his wife, and he just wanted us to end this process for her.’ Wade said she consulted with hospital administrators and attorneys who agreed with her assessment. It took more than 12 hours for that fetus’s heart to stop beating, she said. Before the law, Wade said she would have given the patient the option to complete the miscarriage earlier by taking medication to hasten the delivery or performing a procedure to empty her uterus. Both are considered abortions. Wade said she’s had to delay care in a few situations like this — not because of confusion about the law, but because of its restrictions. ‘They were frustrating for us because it limited what we do and how we care for our patients,’ Wade said.” [NC Health News, 7/24/25]

The Patient Was 18 Weeks Pregnant And Miscarrying, But Because The Fetus Still Had A Heartbeat, Wade Was Unable To Provide The Patient With The Option To Take Medication To End The Miscarriage. “In one instance, Wade recalled a patient who had come to the ER who was 18 weeks pregnant and miscarrying. ‘The baby was partly out of the uterus but had not completely delivered, but the baby still had a heartbeat, so we literally could not do anything,’ Wade said. She said the patient’s husband was furious and demanded that she and her staff intervene. ‘He’s like, ‘My wife, she’s in pain.’ And I was like, ‘I know she is in pain. I’m trying as much as I can to control her pain and make this more comfortable for her. But unfortunately, because of the law, I am kind of forced not to act in this situation unless she becomes more unstable,’ Wade said. ‘He just felt helpless for his wife, and he just wanted us to end this process for her.’ Wade said she consulted with hospital administrators and attorneys who agreed with her assessment. It took more than 12 hours for that fetus’s heart to stop beating, she said. Before the law, Wade said she would have given the patient the option to complete the miscarriage earlier by taking medication to hasten the delivery or performing a procedure to empty her uterus. Both are considered abortions. Wade said she’s had to delay care in a few situations like this — not because of confusion about the law, but because of its restrictions. ‘They were frustrating for us because it limited what we do and how we care for our patients,’ Wade said.” [NC Health News, 7/24/25]

Wade Said That The Hospital Administrators And Attorneys Agreed With Her Assessment That She Could Not Help The Patient In Ending Her Pregnancy Before The Fetus’s Heart Stopped Beating Because Of The State’s Abortion Law. “She said the patient’s husband was furious and demanded that she and her staff intervene. ‘He’s like, ‘My wife, she’s in pain.’ And I was like, ‘I know she is in pain. I’m trying as much as I can to control her pain and make this more comfortable for her. But unfortunately, because of the law, I am kind of forced not to act in this situation unless she becomes more unstable,’ Wade said. ‘He just felt helpless for his wife, and he just wanted us to end this process for her.’ Wade said she consulted with hospital administrators and attorneys who agreed with her assessment. It took more than 12 hours for that fetus’s heart to stop beating, she said. […] Wade said she’s had to delay care in a few situations like this — not because of confusion about the law, but because of its restrictions. ‘They were frustrating for us because it limited what we do and how we care for our patients,’ Wade said.” [NC Health News, 7/24/25]

North Carolina’s 12-Week Abortion Ban Drove Reproductive Health Providers To Leave The State

September 2023: News & Observer Headline: “New Abortion Law Drives Out NC’s Scarce Supply Of OB-GYNs & Primary Care Doctors.” [News & Observer, 9/22/23]

The News & Observer “Interviewed Several Doctors At Different Stages Of Their Careers” Who Planned To Leave North Carolina Due To The State’s Abortion Law. “When Teal’s maternal-fetal medicine fellowship ended in June, she was offered what would have been a dream job: a faculty position in UNC’s Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology. She loved her patients and colleagues in North Carolina. She was passionate about her research and had a grant that would fund it for years to come. Her parents lived close enough to Chapel Hill that they could visit their 2-year-old grandson every month. But Teal couldn’t help but replay patient conversations in her mind: My recommendation is to terminate your pregnancy, but I can’t do that until you get a little sicker. She remembered their faces, staring back in disbelief. She accepted a job in San Diego, where there is no gestational limit on abortion. The News & Observer interviewed several doctors at different stages of their careers — from those in the midst of training to those with well-established medical practices — who plan to take their expertise elsewhere due to the state’s new abortion laws.” [News & Observer, 9/22/23]

North Carolina’s Abortion Ban Threatened The Supply Of OB-GYNs In North Carolina, As Existing Providers Weighed Leaving The State And New Providers Were Dissuaded From Practicing Due To The Law’s Restrictions On Their Ability To Practice. “Doctors who care for pregnant women say abortion laws are already impacting patients and physicians. Some worry that if stricter laws go into effect in North Carolina, fewer top-quality doctors will choose to practice in the state. Dr. Beverly Gray is an OB-GYN with Duke Health. She delivers babies and provides pregnancy care and annual exams. She also provides abortions.” [CBS17, 2/14/24]