GOP Leaders Allowed to Defend NC Abortion Pill Restrictions in Court After Democrat AG Refusal
Two of the top Republicans in the North Carolina Legislature are allowed to intervene in a lawsuit to defend laws that place restrictions on abortion pills, a federal judge said in an order (pdf) on March 10.
North Carolina law requires the abortion pill mifepristone be dispensed in person after a 72-hour waiting period and only after patients receive state-mandated counseling and, in some cases, an ultrasound, according to the lawsuit (pdf) filed in the Middle District of North Carolina in January.
House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger requested through their attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)—a non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life—to intervene as the state’s Democrat Attorney General Josh Stein refused to do so….