A North Carolina Republican lawmaker has taken the unusual step of publicly retracting his sponsorship of an anti-abortion bill. That’s after critics on social media said it would sanction the killing of doctors and nurses who perform abortions, women who have abortions, and even women who use some kinds of contraception.
House Bill 1232, if passed, would allow voters this November to decide whether to amend the state’s constitution to define human life as beginning at the moment of conception.
Under the measure, individuals seeking abortions “shall be held accountable for attempted murder or for first degree murder.” The bill also says that “any person has the right to defend his or her own life or the life of another person, even by the use of deadly force if necessary, from willful destruction by another person.” It does not allow exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother.
Jen Hamilton, a labor and delivery nurse, posted a video to Instagram claiming H1232 allows people to kill individuals using contraceptives that prevent the implantation of a fertilized embryo, like IUDs.
“We can’t feed kids in school, and we won’t give healthcare to people, but we will make it legal to murder women who use birth control,” Hamilton said in the video.
The video earned 193,000 likes and more than 45,000 shares in a single day.
Rep. Ben Moss (R-Richmond) removed himself as a primary sponsor of the bill, he shared on social media Tuesday night. The move leaves Rep. Keith Kidwell (R-Beaufort) as the measure’s sole sponsor.
Moss said he remains “firmly pro-life,” but raised concerns about wording in the bill, saying it needs more work.
“Unfortunately, portions of the bill’s current language have led to significant misunderstandings and differing misinterpretations,” Moss said.
It’s not the first time Rep. Kidwell has proposed legislation on fetal personhood, or the concept that a fetus, embryo or fertilized egg has the same rights and legal status as a person after birth.
His previous efforts haven’t advanced through the General Assembly. Kidwell did not respond to NC Newsline’s request for comment.
Kidwell lost the Republican primary election for his seat in March, winning about 650 votes fewer than his challenger, Darren Armstrong. Without a Democratic opponent, Armstrong is set to secure the seat in November.
Lynne Walter, advocacy and organizing manager at Pro-Choice North Carolina, said there are better ways to help families in the state.
“While out-of-touch Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly are busy filing extremist anti-abortion bills, we North Carolinians are struggling to pay for our healthcare costs, put food on the table, and fill up our gas tanks,” Walter wrote in an email.
The bill calls for North Carolina to recognize an embryo as an “individual person, entitled to the protection of the laws of this State” beginning at fertilization, which also calls into question the future of in vitro fertilization in the state. Embryos that are not used are generally destroyed, which would become illegal under Kidwell’s amendment.
Israel Cook, state legislative counsel at the Center of Reproductive Rights, said there was mass chaos and confusion after the Alabama Supreme Court recognized personhood for embryos. IVF clinics temporarily shut down, leaving patients unable to receive care.
“We could see the same chaos in North Carolina under a bill like this,” Cook told NC Newsline in a statement. “North Carolinians who want to expand their families would suffer.”
David McLennan, a political science professor at Meredith College, said he doubts the legislature will pass the bill.
North Carolina law currently allows abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Members of leadership have said they’re comfortable with that gestational limit.
“It’s definitely several people in the General Assembly who would like to eliminate access to abortion, but it’s not where the majority of the legislators are,” McLennan said.
A spokesperson for Rep. Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) told NC Newsline the Speaker is “proud of the landmark pro-life legislation passed in 2023.”
NC Democratic lawmakers take aim at ‘crisis pregnancy centers’ over alleged deceptive practices
In this midterm election year, Democrats are expected to outperform their counterparts across the aisle. Polls nationally and within the state have shown low enthusiasm among GOP voters and a waning approval rating for President Donald Trump.
If the measure were put on the ballot in November, it could aid Republicans in driving turnout. GOP lawmakers are pushing iother constitutional amendments in droves, hoping to draw their supporters to the polls.
But H1232 could be a double-edged sword, McLennan said.
“It could drive Democratic turnout, and people who normally don’t vote in midterm elections, because this is such a hot-button issue,” he said. “I’ve done polling on it. Very few North Carolinians favor a complete ban on abortion.”
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