THE ABORTION ISSUE

THE
ABORTION
ISSUE

On June 24, The United States Supreme Court overturned nearly 50 years of national precedent.

So, we've dedicated this week's paper solely to covering abortion — how it works, how it's legislated, the history behind it and what comes next.

Our goal is to highlight the significant medical, financial, legal and political implications of abortion access in North Carolina.

Regardless of individual beliefs or choices, abortion access is an issue facing millions of people in the United States, and thousands of people on UNC’s campus.

We chose for this special edition of The Daily Tar Heel to be entirely reported and produced by female and nonbinary editors and staffers. On topics that most impact us, we feel that telling these stories is our responsibility.

Abortion is an issue that sits in doctor’s office waiting rooms. It is an issue discussed in romantic relationships and written on ballots.

Sixteen reported articles. Nine opinion pieces. 72 editors, writers and staffers.

The Daily Tar Heel Abortion Issue.

Featured Stories

'It's designed to chill abortion access': Doctors face vague exceptions

By: Emmy Martin

In the wake of North Carolina reinstating a 20-week abortion ban, doctors and lawyers are attempting to define what constitutes a medical emergency severe enough to warrant an abortion past this time frame.

How much does it cost to have an abortion in North Carolina?

By: Abby Pender

In addition to the procedural cost, many individuals must evaluate supplemental expenses to their abortion care such as transportation, childcare and lost wages.

Editorial: The University’s response (or, lack thereof) to Dobbs

By: Editorial Board

"Within hours of Roe v. Wade being overturned on June 24, universities across the United States issued their responses, varying in opposition, support and neutrality. UNC has since offered its silence."

History of abortion laws in North Carolina

1881
1967
1973
1978
1992
2011
2013
2015
2019
2022

North Carolina criminalizes abortion
1881
North Carolina criminalized abortion and the concealing of birth of a child. It became a felony for people to administer procedures to induce an abortion. This law was cited in the 2022 Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Health risk exception
1967
Abortion is permitted in cases of rape, incest and fatal pregnancies.
Roe v. Wade
1973
Access to abortion is declared protected by the constitution through the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade.
State abortion fund
1978
The state abortion fund was established to aid low-income individuals in paying for abortion services. Later laws in 1995 made the fund effectively unusable with an increase in restrictions, and in 2006 the fund got repealed.
Planned Parenthood v. Casey establishes undue burden
1992
The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey establishes that the government can create laws restricting abortion, but it can’t do it in a way that places undue burden on the person who’s pregnant.
Restrictions to access
2011
The "Woman's Right to Know Act" restricts access to abortion in North Carolina. These constraints include mandatory 24-hour waiting periods, compulsory counseling for abortion-seekers and obligatory ultrasounds prior to an abortion, during which abortion practitioners must describe the fetus to the abortion seeker.
More legislation restricts access
2013
The NC General Assembly continued to make it harder for people to access abortions. It passed new requirements that made it harder for women’s health centers to stay open and prohibited Affordable Care Act health insurance from going toward abortion coverage except in rare cases of rape, incest or risk of life.
Women and Children Protection Act
2015
The "Women and Children's Protection Act" tripled the waiting period for abortions from 24 to 72 hours, barred anyone under 18 from being employed at an abortion clinic, and forced doctors to send the ultrasounds of abortion seekers to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
20-week ban ruled unlawful
2019
The state’s 20-week abortion restriction is declared unlawful by the federal district court as a result of the Bryant v. Woodall case. Additionally, several anti-abortion bills were vetoed by Gov. Roy Cooper.
Roe v. Wade overturned, N.C. restricts access
2022
On June 24, Roe v. Wade is overturned by SCOTUS via the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Two months later, the injunction on the 20-week abortion ban previously blocked by Bryant v. Woodall is lifted in North Carolina.