Tara Romano: Abortion provisions about politics

With the passage of House Bill 465, North Carolina joined just three other states requiring a 72-hour waiting period before an abortion. This waiting period has nothing to do with women’s health and safety and everything to do with limiting access to abortion.

At the last minute, unrelated provisions to increase support for victims of domestic and sexual violence were added in a calculated move to create opportunities for political grandstanding rather than out of a sincere concern for the safety of women.

We support measures to increase the safety of DV/SV victims; we don’t support assuming women who are victims of DV/SV never seek abortions, however. There are times when a rape victim seeks an abortion after becoming pregnant (a situation that will still require the waiting period). Or a DV victim is impregnated after her abuser sabotages her birth control.

One in four domestic violence victims experiences reproductive coercion, and many rape victims do not disclose their rapes to police. Access to abortion is therefore a part of providing full support to victims.

HB 465 purports to give with one hand while ultimately taking from women with the other hand, and North Carolina women deserve better.

This story was originally published June 29, 2015 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Tara Romano: Abortion provisions about politics."