Sen. Natalie Murdock (D-Durham) speaks at a North Carolina Legislative Building press conference at which Senate Democrats called for passage of a bill to protect the right to contraception (Photo: Ahmed Jallow)
On the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which overturned abortion rights, North Carolina Senate Democrats renewed their push at a Monday Legislative Building press conference for Senate Bill 808, a measure protecting access to contraception.
Sen. Lisa Grafstein of Wake County highlighted the significance of the bill, particularly in light of the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling.
“I think the arguments before the Dobbs decision that people were being hysterical about the fall of Roe have been proven to be false,” said Grafstein.
Grafstein, a cosponsor of the bill, said it seeks to protect against potential conservative efforts to restrict access to contraception.
“We are seeing the same trajectory happen with birth control as it did with abortion,” Grafstein said.
Dr. Amy Bryant, a Triangle-based OB-GYN, lamented the spread of misinformation that she said has followed in the wake of the Dobbs ruling. She specifically called out anti-abortion advocates in several other states who are inaccurately labeling hormonal IUDs as abortifacients, equating birth control with abortion procedures.
“This is misinformation,” said Bryant.
“It is not actually the correct mechanism of action for how these things work, but I think that is the way they’re trying to make it seem.”
Earlier this month, U.S. Senate Republicans blocked similar legislation that would have established a federal right to access contraception, defeating the Democratic-led measure.
Republicans said that the legislation was unnecessary since the use of birth control is already protected under Supreme Court precedent.
“There was a time when we would not have been fearful of losing the right to contraception,” said Sen. Natalie Murdock of Durham, urging Republicans to pass the bill in this short session, though it is highly unlikely due to the Republican supermajority in both legislative chambers.
At Monday’s press conference, Democratic lawmakers said they circulated a discharge petition last week—a procedural move to bring the bill to a vote despite opposition in committee—but no Republicans have agreed to sign it. Fourteen Republican-controlled states have banned abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with some exceptions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research and policy organization. In three other states, it’s barred after six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant.
Last month marked the one-year anniversary of the passage of Senate Bill 20, legislation that banned abortions in North Carolina after 12 weeks.
At Monday’s event, Robin Wallace, a physician and an abortion provider for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, said the law burdens families and health care providers.
“We are already witnessing the bad outcomes,” Wallace said. “Pregnant people are being denied care in emergency rooms here in our state and future physicians are refusing to train in states with abortion restrictions.”
Sen. Mary Wills Bode of Wake County said she never expected to have to advocate for reproductive access. “The right I believe was non-negotiable, but now clearly hangs in the balance,” Wills Bode said.
“We know that when women have control over their reproductive health, they are healthier, their families are stronger, and our society thrives,” said Wills Bode. “We cannot afford to turn back the clock. We must protect and expand access to birth control before it’s too late.”
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