As state lawmakers convened on Wednesday for the first day of the 2023 legislative session, abortion rights activists gathered outside the nearby State Capitol to protest anticipated efforts by Republicans to curtail abortion laws this year.
Behind the scenes, effort are underway to build consensus among GOP lawmakers on what exactly they should propose.
Having won greater majorities in both the House and Senate in November, Republicans have promised to change the current abortion law, which restricts the procedure after 20 weeks of pregnancy. GOP leaders of both chambers have said there is a range of opinions in their caucuses on how many weeks the law should be rolled back by, and it remains unclear when Republicans will unveil a bill.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Speaker Tim Moore said that House Republicans had put together a working group in their caucus that represented a diverse set of opinions, to try to agree on a proposal with a similar group in the Senate Republican caucus.
Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters that lawmakers should provide exceptions for rape and incest. State law currently allows an exception after 20 weeks only for medical emergencies, which critics say is too narrowly defined.
“Our law does not allow an exception for rape, does not allow an exception for incest, and I think we need to change that,” Berger told reporters. “I also think that 20 weeks is, in essence, five months into a pregnancy. I think if you look at where the people...
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