A bill making its way through the North Carolina Legislature states it would be permissible for a person to use deadly force on a woman they believe is seeking an abortion, something Democrats have branded as “wildly extreme.”
The legislation, now only backed by Republican State Representative Keith Kidwell, would classify abortion as first-degree murder and open up the right of another person to defend the life of the unborn baby as they see fit.
“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,” the bill reads. “The State has an interest and a duty to defend innocent persons from willful destruction of their lives and to punish those who take the lives of persons, born or unborn, who have not committed any crime punishable by death.”
The bill, which would grant personhood to fertilized eggs, could be on the ballot for voters in November’s midterms. If approved by voters, it would go into effect on January 1, 2027.
Newsweek reached out to Kidwell for comment via his contact form on Thursday afternoon.
Pro-choice advocates and Democrats have pushed back on the bill, with some raising concerns that women on birth control could also be included in its scope.
“Classifying patients seeking abortion as murderers and legalizing deadly force against providers, family, and friends who assist with abortion care is wildly extreme and out of step with voters,” Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams said in a statement shared with Newsweek.
“As the Republican Party adopts these fringe policies that encourage violence and make it harder for families to access the care they need, voters are ready to hold Republicans accountable in November.”
The bill’s other sponsor, Representative Ben Moss, pulled his support Tuesday, saying in a statement shared on X that the purpose of the legislation was “to affirm the value and dignity of unborn life” and that there had been “significant misunderstandings” about the bill’s text.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
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