North Carolina Bill Would Legalize Killing Abortion Providers and Advocates—Seriously
5.26.26
Two North Carolina Republicans have introduced legislation that would codify fetal personhood from fertilization, punish abortion patients as murderers, and outlaw IVF and some forms of birth control. But that’s not all: HB 1232 would legalize “deadly force” in defense of a fertilized egg: “Any person has the right to defend his or her own life or the life of another person, even by the use of deadly force if necessary, from willful destruction by another person.” Let’s be clear—this means it would be perfectly fine to kill an abortion provider, an activist, or even someone who drives a friend to the clinic. Anyone who helps a woman get an abortion could be murdered, and their killer could claim it was justifiable. Reps. Keith Kidwell and Ben Moss, Jr. introduced the legislation as a constitutional amendment; if the General Assembly passed the bill, it would then be sent to voters for approval. The good news, of course, is that there’s pretty much no chance of that happening. But you know what I’m going to say: that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be taking this bill very, very seriously.
