Gearing Up for a Post-Roe America By NC Family Staff February 19, 2022
The U.S. Supreme Court case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health has been making headlines for months, as people on both sides of the abortion issue anticipate how it may affect Roe v. Wade. The nation’s highest court heard oral arguments on this case last December, and a ruling is expected sometime in June of this year.
If the Court overturns Roe, the power to determine abortion policy will likely return to the states. So, how can states prepare themselves to stand for life should Roe be overturned? To answer this question, we welcome Sue Liebel, State Policy Director at the Susan B. Anthony List, to this week’s episode of Family Policy Matters.
Liebel shares how states have been taking action on abortion legislation long before Dobbs and a potential overturning of Roe. On the pro-abortion side, New York passed third-trimester abortion legislation in 2019. On the pro-life side, states have passed “heartbeat bills, 15-week bills, discrimination against babies with Down Syndrome and things like that … States are doubling down and pushing and pushing,” says Liebel.
In preparation for the Dobbs ruling, Liebel and the SBA List have been working closely with state lawmakers to look at their existing abortion laws, and decide whether they need to pass more pro-life legislation right away. “We just have a few short months for states to get ready,” says Liebel, since most legislatures are in session now but will adjourn before June. “So, we’re talking with them about their laws already on the books, and whether they need to be updated and what new legislation they should consider immediately now.”
In North Carolina, state law prohibits abortion after viability, which courts generally consider to be 24 weeks. “You’re going to have to be realistic and careful about what you can do,” continues Liebel, “given the fact that your governor is not pro-life, and any hesitation within your legislature. […] So elections matter!”
Tune in to Family Policy Matters this week to hear Sue Liebel discuss how the Susan B. Anthony List is helping states and pro-life groups gear up for a post-Roe America.
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