Abortions in North Carolina are no longer legal after 20 weeks.  U.S. District Judge William Osteen, Jr. reinstated the 20-week ban at the urging of Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore.  It follows the overturn of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade decision in June.

NC Health News reports that the change cuts the limit of time pregnant people have for seeking abortions in the sate from fetal viability, which typically falls between 24 and 26 weeks of pregnancy.  In 2020 there were 30 abortions performed in the state at 21 weeks or later or 0.1 percent of total abortions in the state.

Further statistics on abortion in NC in 2020:

2020 NC Resident Abortion Statistics from the State Center for Health Statistics 

  • 25,058 abortions were provided to NC residents (98.5 percent obtained in-state).
  • 56.6 percent of abortion seekers were 20 to 29 years old.
  • 49.3 percent of abortion seekers were African American, 27.9 percent were white and 13.1 percent Hispanic.
  • 58.7 percent of abortion seekers had 13+ years of education.
  • Two-thirds of abortion seekers were already parents to one or more children.
  • A total of 48 NC residents obtained abortions taking place after 21 weeks. Thirty of those procedures were performed in-state and 18 took place out of state.

The change has physicians and Planned Parenthood concerned and it comes with ramifications on pregnancy care.

To read the full article with comments from doctors and professionals across the state click here.