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A2 UP FRONT
Monday 29 august 2022
Continued from Front already funneling money istered to vote since the
The judge’s decision comes into the state’s tightest Supreme Court abortion
as North Carolina is prepar- races. Hours before the ruling, with women slightly
ing to vote this fall on its 20-week ban resumed, outnumbering men, ac-
entire state legislature, two Planned Parenthood, the cording to state Board of
state supreme court races, nation’s leading reproduc- Elections data. Democratic
all 14 U.S. House seats and tive health care provider strategists expect subur-
a high-profile U.S. Senate and an abortion rights ad- ban, college educated
contest. vocacy organization, an- women will be a key de-
Democrats have dreamed nounced North Carolina mographic in deciding the
for years of replicating their would be one of the target makeup of North Caro-
2008 success when the states where it’s spending a lina’s legislature in Novem-
state went blue for presi- record $50 million ahead of ber and that abortion will
dent, governor and U.S. the midterm elections. be an important issue for
Senate. Although the cur- Democratic candidates them.
rent governor is a Demo- have portrayed the 20- In Holly Springs, another
crat, Republicans have week limit as the first of suburb of Raleigh, Demo-
dominated both chambers many restrictions to come if cratic state Sen. Sydney
of the legislature since 2011, Democratic State Sen. Natalie Murdock, of Durham County, and Republican state lawmak- Batch is working to defend
state Rep. Julie von Haefen, of Wake County, encourage North
allowing them to advance Carolina voters to support candidates who will preserve abor- ers gain veto-proof mar- her seat in what is shap-
a conservative agenda tion access at a news conference in Raleigh on Aug. 18, 2022. gins. ing up to be one of state’s
that includes abortion re- (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum) “If they are successful in tightest races — one where
strictions. That dominance their efforts, they will not abortion could tip the
held even in 2020 despite the Democratic governor’s abortion access in one of stop here,” said Democrat- scale.
a massive effort by Demo- veto. the South’s few remaining ic state Rep. Julie von Hae- Holly Springs resident Gaile
crats to wrest control of Now less than 100 days safe havens can generate fen of Apex, a fast-growing Valcho, a 58-year-old
the General Assembly. Re- out from the election, the enough political momen- Raleigh suburb, who un- mother and autism out-
publicans are now just five question for North Caro- tum for the party to hold its seated her Republican op- reach coordinator who
seats shy of the superma- lina Democrats is whether ground. ponent in a close race in plans to vote for Batch, said
jority they need to nullify outrage over diminishing National organizations are 2018. she knows several local
“Voters across the state mothers who faced com-
must know that the true plications with their preg-
goal of politicians behind nancies and feel personally
this ban on abortion later in connected to this issue.
pregnancy is to ban abor- “Politics aside, I think this
tion entirely.” was a wakeup call for
Duke University public women who, of course,
policy professor Mac Mc- know their bodies better
Corkle, a former adviser than any lawmaker ever
to Democratic Govs. Mike could,” Valcho said.
Easley and Beverly Perdue, Abortion access is also ex-
said voters were already pected to play a key role in
motivated by the June 24 the state’s hotly contested
Supreme Court ruling that U.S. Senate race between
gave states the right to Democrat Cheri Beasley
determine abortion ac- and Republican U.S. Rep.
cess. Then the local ban Ted Budd, who is backed
— which state Republican by former President Don-
leaders had encouraged ald Trump. North Carolina is
the judge to reinstate — one of the few states where
removed for many voters Democrats have a strong
the illusion of protection in shot at flipping a seat in the
North Carolina. 50-50 chamber, making
And there’s certainly evi- Beasley’s campaign a vital
dence of that playing out component of the party’s
with at least some female plan to codify abortion
voters, like North Carolina rights into federal law.
State University sophomore Republicans, for their part,
Emma Morgan, 19, who re- say abortion access won’t
cently returned to Raleigh be as crucial an issue as
for school from her family Democrats hope. And they
home in Maryland. aren’t shying away from
“I’d literally just moved proposing even more strin-
back here from Maryland, gent anti-abortion mea-
and they’re like, bam, you sures.
don’t have these rights North Carolina House
anymore,” Morgan said. Speaker Tim Moore has
“It pulled the rug out from said he would support leg-
under us and got me and islation banning abortions
other out-of-state stu- once an ultrasound first
dents wondering, should detects fetal cardiac ac-
we transfer before it gets tivity — typically about six
worse?” weeks after fertilization and
About 30,000 North Caro- before many patients know
lina residents have reg- they’re pregnant.q