Four Years Ago Today

Four years ago today, the Supreme Court dismantled the constitutional right to abortion access.

I remember that day clearly. I heard from folks who remember the horrible times before Roe and were heartbroken that women would yet again face the risk of serious injury or death to receive basic reproductive health care. I remember people coming to me, angry and confused about what this meant for their future and their freedoms. And I remember thinking about how millions of women were on the verge of losing their fundamental right to reproductive care.

This decision discarded a half century of legal precedent and resulted in the crushing reality that your zip code can now determine your rights.

We knew at that time that anti-choice Republicans would target reproductive health care access for North Carolinians.

That’s why as Governor, two weeks after the Dobbs decision, I signed an Executive Order that protected doctors, nurses and their patients. We directed the North Carolina Department of Public Safety to work with law enforcement and ensure that health care facilities remained safe and accessible places of care. The order made it easier for those seeking or providing reproductive health care services in North Carolina to do so without fear.

Signing an Executive Order as Governor to protect reproductive health care in North Carolina

The attacks on reproductive freedom didn’t stop with Dobbs. As Governor, I vetoed a bad abortion bill passed by the Republican North Carolina legislature. We all knew that bill had nothing to do with making women safer, and everything to do with controlling women’s bodies.

So I went across the state, reaching out to local leaders and explaining the nuances of this bill. I called out GOP legislators and helped folks understand just how restrictive and oppressive this bill was.

After Dobbs, it was up to the states to determine whether women could safely receive reproductive health care, and I worked hard in North Carolina to blunt the oppressive Republican anti abortion legislation.

Michael Whatley helped lead the right wing charge. Whatley said he was “proud” when Roe v. Wade was overturned and actively pushed Republican legislators in North Carolina to pass a severe abortion ban. Under Whatley’s leadership as RNC Chairman, the party adopted an extreme anti-choice platform that proposed laws to ban abortion with no exceptions. It is no wonder his Senate campaign is backed by a group whose mission is to “end abortion” entirely.

Women have waited too long for politicians to understand that they deserve to make their own medical decisions. I will push to restore the freedoms that Dobbs stripped away and stand firmly against further attempts to restrict reproductive health care access. As Governor, I fought for reproductive rights and as Senator, I will do the same.