The U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to strike down Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision which guaranteed federal protections of abortion rights, according to a leaked draft opinion on May 2.
If the decision is overturned, it would send shock waves throughout the country. Abortion could be “banned or tightly restricted in as many as 28 states” shortly after Roe is abolished, according to The New York Times.
In North Carolina, abortion would remain legal, but there are major restrictions, including a required ultrasound and a 72-hour waiting period. Abortions after 20 weeks would likely be banned outright.
While Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has vetoed multiple anti-abortion bills in the past, if the state GOP wins a supermajority in the legislature this fall, a total abortion ban may be on the table.
Still, the opinion is just a draft — the final verdict is expected this summer.
We sit down with experts to look at what a post-Roe world might look like in North Carolina and beyond.
GUESTS
Rebecca Kreitzer, associate professor of public policy at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Seema Iyer, chief legal correspondent for Queen City News
Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for Kaiser Health News, host of KHN’s weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?”
