45 years after Roe v. Wade, the anti-abortion movement has momentum in NC and nationally
Abortion opponents have found an ally in the Trump administration, which has worked through judicial appointments and executive action to restrict access to the procedure despite the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling on
The administration's efforts are cause for celebration for the thousands who marched in the March for Life in
"As someone who has fought in the trenches for the pro-life movement for decades, I have never been more encouraged,"
Abortion could be an important issue in what is shaping up to be one of
Abortion rights groups, facing a hostile administration, are supporting grassroots campaigns at the state level, but in
"The fact that we are going backwards is just very disconcerting to me because women have a role to play, we need them to have control of their lives so that they contribute to their families and their society and run for office," said state Sen.
New conscience protections
The federal
On Friday, the department's
"It's about time that the government started protecting the conscience rights of Americans rather than attacking them," said
But
"Generally people who are opposed to abortion might not work at a place like
The
Despite once declaring himself as "pro-choice in every respect," Trump has worked to restrict abortion. Just days after his inauguration last year, he reinstated the "Mexico City" policy, first enacted in the Reagan era, which prohibits international organizations that receive government funding from performing or promoting abortion as a method of family planning.
"I think the feeling in the pro-life movement is ecstatic right now," Fitzgerald said. "We have a president who fully embraces the value and the dignity of human life, especially human life in the womb."
Waiting period in NC
With
On
"With the arrival of an incredibly hostile federal administration to all things reproductive rights, I think that has been an impetus for states to step up and recognize that they have a stronger role to play," said
According to the group, 401 state-level restrictions on abortion have been enacted since 2011.
"That's insulting," said Van Duyn, who joined the
State Rep.
"In
But Fitzgerald isn't worried about the council's impact, even nationally.
"I think it's a weak attempt to counter the gains the pro-life movement is having right now," she said. "I don't expect it to have much success given the fact that people now realize with the invention of the 3D ultrasound that babies as early as 12 weeks have a heartbeat, at eight weeks they have hands and toes and fingers -- people can now see with their own eyes that unborn babies are humans and that they should have human rights."
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