Right to Reproductive Freedom Act

This bill wants to make it easier for people to make choices about their bodies.

If passed, this bill:

• Makes sure that the important ideas from two court cases are protected in North Carolina.

• The court cases: 

  • Roe v. Wade: a Supreme Court case that decided women have a right to choose to have an abortion, especially in the early part of pregnancy.

  • Planned Parenthood v. Casey: a case that kept that right but said states could make some rules, as long as they didn’t make it too hard for women to choose.

• Stops the state from making it too hard for someone to decide if they want to end a pregnancy before the baby can live on its own.

  • "Too hard" means anything that makes it very difficult for someone to end a pregnancy before the baby can live on its own.

  • After the baby can live on its own, the state can make rules about ending a pregnancy. But, they cannot do that if ending the pregnancy is needed to save the person's life or health.

• Changes a law so that doctors, nurses, and other people who help with medical care are safe from getting in trouble if they are doing their job right.

• Changes another law so that if a doctor thinks it's an emergency and someone needs help right away, they don't have to follow the rules about getting permission from parents.

  • Nurses and other people who help with medical care can also make these decisions in an emergency.

• Changes another law so that people younger than 18 years old can say yes to getting medical help for some things, like:

  • Sicknesses that can be passed from person to person

  • Being pregnant

  • Problems with drugs or alcohol

  • Feeling very sad or worried

  • This doesn't mean anyone younger than 18 years old can decide to end a pregnancy or have an operation without their parents' permission.

• Adds these definitions to the bill:

  • Abortion: ending a pregnancy on purpose.

• Makes it clear that the state health insurance plan will not pay for abortions unless it is allowed by another law. But, the plan will pay for medical problems that may happen after an abortion.

• Allows counties-smaller areas within a state-to buy health insurance for their workers. 

• But, the insurance cannot pay for more abortions than the state health plan does. The same goes for cities.