North Carolina Governor Josh Stein Issues Executive Order to Protect Reproductive Health Care Access

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Written By Blue & Gold NLR Team

 

 

Democratic North Carolina Governor Josh Stein issued an executive order on Thursday aimed at safeguarding reproductive health care access in the state.

The order focuses on ensuring medical privacy for women, protecting healthcare providers who perform abortions, and preventing state agencies from cooperating with efforts to investigate or penalize those seeking reproductive health services.

Stein emphasized his commitment to protecting women’s freedoms and privacy amidst ongoing attacks on reproductive rights.

In addition, the order mandates state agencies to review and potentially revise policies related to the privacy of women’s reproductive health data. This executive action comes as North Carolina prepares for potential further restrictions on reproductive health care under a second Trump presidency.

The move follows similar actions in other states like Oregon and New Jersey, where Democratic governors have initiated stockpiling of abortion medication, anticipating challenges to reproductive rights.

Former President Trump has indicated that while he does not intend to impose a national abortion ban, he could allow individual states to set their policies, including the regulation of medication abortion.

Stein, who previously served as North Carolina’s attorney general, took office as governor in 2023, succeeding Roy Cooper. Cooper had issued an executive order in 2022 to protect North Carolinians from extradition for seeking out-of-state abortions, ensuring that state agencies did not assist other states in prosecuting such individuals.

North Carolina itself enacted a 12-week abortion ban in July 2023, signaling further shifts in the state’s stance on reproductive rights.

 

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