For North Carolina GOP Gubernatorial Candidates, SB20 “Might Just Be The First Step”

An editorial from the Charlotte Observer underscores what’s on the line in the 2024 race for North Carolina governor as Republican candidates signal they will take abortion restrictions even further if elected. Mark Robinson said earlier this year he “would want to pass a law that makes abortion illegal ‘for any reason’ and Mark Walker declared SB20 as a “first step.”

While Republicans continue to show North Carolina voters how extreme and unpopular their anti-choice, anti-freedom agenda is, Attorney General Josh Stein has proven he’ll never back down from the fight to ensure politicians stay out of women’s health care decisions. As the editorial writes: “Republicans should be careful about going any further.”

Charlotte Observer: For Republicans, NC’s 12-week abortion ban might just be the first step | Opinion

By the Editorial Board – May 26, 2023

• North Carolina Republicans just passed a 12-week abortion ban, but their recent comments suggest this might just be a first step in a long-term plan. Because although they are calling the legislation a “compromise,” what that means is that it’s a compromise among themselves. 

• If a Republican wins the governorship, however, lawmakers wouldn’t have to worry about a veto at all — they could pass new legislation with just a simple majority vote. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and former Rep. Mark Walker, two of the GOP candidates for governor in 2024, have expressed a desire to further restrict North Carolina’s abortion laws if elected. 

• Robinson said earlier this year that if he were governor and had a “willing legislature,” he would want to pass a law that makes abortion illegal “for any reason.” 

• In a recent interview on conservative radio, Robinson said the new 12-week ban “gives ourselves the opportunity to set ourselves up to get ready to continue to move the ball.” 

• Walker, meanwhile, said in a recent TV interview that he likes to think of the new bill as a “first step.” 

• Regardless, abortion will be one of the biggest issues on the ballot in 2024, just as it was in 2022. But North Carolina’s new 12-week law is already unpopular with voters. Republicans should be careful about going any further.

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