‘TEARS OF JOY’

North Carolina Governor Vetoes Abortion Bill, But Republican Override Looms

Republicans hold a veto-proof majority in both the state house and senate.

Abortion activists in North Carolina celebrated on Saturday after Governor Roy Cooper vetoed a bill that would severely restrict abortion rights in the state. “I couldn’t stop crying tears of joy seeing the governor hold up the veto stamp, but I know it’s an uphill battle to keep this momentum going,” an attendee told the Associated Press. Republicans hold a veto-proof majority in both houses of the state legislature, thanks to state representative Tricia Cotham, a former Democrat who switched parties in April. The proposed bill would have outlawed most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, with slightly looser rules for victims of rape and incest (20 weeks) and “‘life-limiting’ fetal anomalies” (24 weeks).