Rallies planned for Asheville, Raleigh as Gov. Cooper set to veto bill limiting abortions

By Hannah Mackenzie

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    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — Gov. Roy Cooper is expected to formally veto SB20 at a rally in Raleigh this weekend.

The controversial bill, passed by the state House and Senate, would ban most abortions after 12 weeks – with exceptions for rape, incest, life-limiting anomalies and medical emergencies.

Wrapping up a week-long blitz across North Carolina, Cooper aims to sway just one politician in the Republican supermajority to uphold his veto of the bill.

“It was introduced and passed in less than 48 hours with no amendments and no public input,” Cooper said. “Now, the only way to stop this is a veto and be able to sustain that veto.”

In a one-on-one interview, the governor told News 13’s Hannah Mackenzie that he would be targeting counties he thinks are led by politicians breaking promises to their constituents.

“We have legislators Ted Davis and Michael Lee in Wilmington, North Carolina, and in Mecklenburg County, John Bradford and Tricia Cotham – all of them promised to protect women’s reproductive freedom,” Cooper said. “They’re all in close, relatively close districts, Representative Cotham in a very democratic district and [they] promised that they were going to do this. We want them to keep their promises. All we need is one Republican in either the House or the Senate to stand up and do the right thing. They can stop this bad legislation.”

Cooper will be in the state’s capital on Saturday, May 13, rallying one last time before officially vetoing the bill.

In Asheville, those against SB20 are also holding a rally Saturday. It will take place at Rabbit Rabbit starting at 4 p.m. State Sen. Julie Mayfield is scheduled to address the crowd.

“This bill is a disaster for all women of childbearing age in North Carolina, and, actually, all women, actually, all people in North Carolina,” Mayfield said during an interview with Mackenzie on Friday. “The fact that it restricts access so drastically, so much more drastically than what we have now, it’s going to mean that a lot of women, maybe even most women, won’t be able to access abortion.”

There is no word on any rallies planned in support of SB20. News 13 plans to cover the rally at Rabbit Rabbit. Check back for the latest details.

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