¶ Abortion Generally
¶ McCrory Described Himself As “Extremely Pro-Life”
An Adviser To McCrory’s Senate Campaign Stated That McCrory Is Pro-Life. According to the Charlotte Observer, “An adviser to former Gov. Pat McCrory’s Senate campaign said McCrory is pro-life and ‘his positions on these issues are well-known and well-vetted.’” [Charlotte Observer, 9/5/21]
McCrory Called Himself “Extremely Pro-Life.” According to the Wilson Times, “McCrory reiterated that he is ‘extremely pro-life’ Wednesday, but said he is stepping on the toes of conservatives and those who are liberal also by pushing for changes in the bill. ‘We specifically mentioned some changes – we believe in increasing some standards – we want to make sure some standards don’t overreach or deny access,’ McCrory said in an interview with The Times after his breakfast with Wells Fargo executives and local farmers.” [Wilson Times, 7/11/13]
On His Campaign Website, McCrory Listed The Sanctity Of Life, Protecting Religious Freedom, And Supporting Conservative Judges As Aspects Of His Platform. [McCrory’s campaign website, accessed 1/19/22]
¶ As Governor, McCrory Broke His “No New Restrictions” Pledge And Signed Legislation Restricting Abortion
April 2013: McCrory Would Not Say If He Would Stick To His Promise Not To Sign Any New Abortion Restrictions. According to the News & Observer, “McCrory said in the final debate of his 2012 gubernatorial campaign that he wouldn't sign new abortion regulations, but the Republican-controlled legislature has followed up new restrictions in 2011 with a series of measures this year, most recently a bill to broaden protections for medical professionals who refuse to participate in an abortion…Kim Genardo, McCrory's communications director, wouldn't say what McCrory might do regarding abortion measures. ‘The governor has signed 24 bills into law dealing with issues such as education and safety,’ Genardo said. ‘Nothing has landed on his desk concerning abortion-related measures. When and if that happens, he will make the decision at that time.’” [News & Observer, 4/21/13]
¶ McCrory Went Back And Forth On A Bill That Tightened Restrictions On Access To Abortion
¶ McCrory Was Unhappy With How The Senate Passed The Legislation
McCrory Said He Was Unhappy With The Process Under Which The State Senate Passed Its Anti-Abortion Bill. According to the News-Record, “Gov. Pat McCrory says he's unhappy with the process that led the North Carolina Senate to pass a bill putting more restrictions on carrying out abortions. McCrory said Wednesday that Senate Republicans who pushed the legislation are completing business the same way that Democrats did when they were in charge of the General Assembly. McCrory says it was not right then and it's not right now. The bill was pushed through the Senate in less than 24 hours with little public notice. McCrory says the process should be appropriate and thorough.” [News-Record, 7/3/13]
- McCrory: “Regardless Of What Party Is In Charge Or What Important Issue Is Being Discussed, The Process Must Be Appropriate And Thorough.” According to the News & Observer, “Gov. Pat McCrory expressed concern Wednesday about the process the N.C. Senate used to bring a sweeping abortion bill to the floor Tuesday. ‘When the Democrats were in power, this is the way they did business,’ McCrory said in a statement, his first on House Bill 695, a controversial anti-abortion measure. ‘It was not right then and it is not right now. Regardless of what party is in charge or what important issue is being discussed, the process must be appropriate and thorough.’” [News & Observer, 7/3/13]
¶ But Declined To Commit To Vetoing The Legislation
McCrory Would Not Comment On A Sweeping New Anti-Abortion Bill. According to the News & Observer, “The bill restricting abortions that popped up in the state Senate without public notice Tuesday evening and received swift approval would force clinics to meet expensive license requirements and make it more difficult for doctors to perform the procedures. […] The Senate approved the measure with a preliminary vote of 27-14. A final vote expected Wednesday would send the bill to the House, which has already passed some of the provisions included in the bill. It also sets up a sticky situation for Republican Gov. Pat McCrory who said during his campaign that he would not sign laws that further restrict abortions. If it passes, the bill could become law without his signature. McCrory’s office said Tuesday night that it had no comment on the bill.” [News & Observer, 7/3/13]
McCrory Would Not Say If He Would Sign The Senate’s Anti-Abortion Bill. According to the News & Observer, “Gov. Pat McCrory on Thursday wouldn't say whether he would allow the Senate's abortion bill to become law if the House passes it. Speaking to The Charlotte Observer just before joining a Fourth of July parade in the Rowan County town of Faith, McCrory said he stuck with the statement he issued Wednesday in which he criticized the lack of public notice about the legislation.” [News & Observer, 7/4/13]
¶ McCrory Supported The Bill’s Safety Goals When Talking About The Closure Existing Facilities
McCrory: “There's A Fine Line Between Safety Measures And Restrictions, But Those Two Lines Should Not Be Confused And I'm Very Concerned About The Responsibility To Ensure The Health Of Women Is Protected.” According to NECN, “Rather, it sounded like McCrory, a Republican, wants to find a way to avoid a potential showdown with social conservatives in his own party and abortion rights advocates. He said he wants the House, which is next in line to review the bill Tuesday, to look at current clinic rules to see if they're reasonable and being enforced. ‘There's a fine line between safety measures and restrictions, but those two lines should not be confused and I'm very concerned about the responsibility to ensure the health of women is protected,’ the governor told reporters.” [NECN, 7/8/13]
McCrory Highlighted The State’s Efforts To Close Clinics That Did Not Meet Existing Standards. According to NECN, “McCrory said recent clinic closings — one Charlotte clinic closed briefly while the state ordered a Durham clinic to close late last week — highlighted current laws already on the books to enforce medical standards. ‘We're going to make sure that we enforce existing law,’ he said.” [NECN, 7/8/13]
¶ But Said He Would Veto It If It Were More About Restricting Abortions Than Women’s Safety
McCrory Said He Wanted Legislators To Further Debate The Abortion Bill. According to NECN, “Gov. Pat McCrory said Monday he wants legislators to take a closer look at abortion regulations in North Carolina before acting further on legislation that would place higher standards upon clinics and more responsibilities upon physicians. The governor, holding a rare formal news conference at the Executive Mansion, didn't say specifically what he'd do if the current bill — hastily moved through the Senate before the long July 4 holiday — came to his desk. As a candidate last fall, McCrory said in a televised debate he didn't want to sign legislation that creates additional abortion restrictions.” [NECN, 7/8/13]
McCrory Said He Would Veto The Anti-Abortion Bill Unless Changes Were Made. According to WRAL, “Gov. Pat McCrory said Wednesday that he will veto a House bill designed to adopt new restrictions on abortion clinics unless significant changes are made to the legislation prior to its passage by the House and Senate. Pointing to suggestions made Tuesday by Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Aldona Wos, McCrory said in a statement that House Bill 695 needs to be further clarified to ensure that it clearly protects the health and safety of women.” [WRAL, 7/10/13]
- McCrory Said The Bill Went Beyond Protecting Women’s Health And Tried To Restrict Abortions. According to WRAL, “McCrory said Monday that he feels some of the provisions go beyond safety and wander into the realm of restricting abortions, which he opposes. Wos echoed that line Tuesday, saying ‘much uncertainty remains’ in the bill's provisions. ‘I urge you to follow the governor’s advice and leadership and spend more time studying these issues,’ she said.” [WRAL, 7/10/13]
McCrory Said The New Standards For Abortion Clinics In The Anti-Abortion Bill Was An Overreach. According to the Wilson Times, “McCrory said there were certain requirements, for example standards of hospitals, that he considered to be an overreach. ‘And there were certain standards of what doctors can and cannot do that may have been an overreach,’ McCrory said.” [Wilson Times, 7/11/13]
McCrory Did, However, Promise To Sign The Bill If The Legislature Changed Language In The Bill
McCrory Said He Would Sign The Anti-Abortion Bill After The House Changed The Bill’s Language To Exclude Language That Would Have Required Abortion Clinics To Be Regulated Like Outpatient Surgery Centers. According to the Huffington Post, “North Carolina's governor says he will sign a new version of a bill that raises standards for abortion clinics into law if it reaches his desk. Gov. Pat McCrory announced his decision Friday, two days after he threatened to veto the previous legislation for how it addressed raising standards for abortion clinics through rules similar to outpatient surgery centers. The House changed the language to satisfy McCrory's health and human services department. McCrory says the version that passed the House on Thursday will ensure women's safety and not limit their access to abortion. It still must pass the Senate before going to McCrory.” [Huffington Post, 7/12/13]
McCrory Said The Bill “Will Better Protect Women While Not Further Limiting Access.” According to the News & Observer, “Gov. Pat McCrory on Friday said he would sign the House version of the abortion bill if it comes to his desk, but that he would still veto the Senate’s version if that’s what passes the General Assembly. ‘The recent House version allows the medical professionals at the Department of Health and Human Services to write the rules which will ensure women’s safety,’ McCrory said in a statement his office released. ‘I want to thank those who worked on an improved bill which will better protect women while not further limiting access.’” [News & Observer, 7/12/13]
When The Bill Was Amended, McCrory Declined To Say Whether The Changes Had Gone Far Enough
McCrory Did Not Say If The Changes To The House Abortion Bill Met His Demands. According to WRAL, “The state House on Thursday approved a proposal to add regulations to the operations of North Carolina abortion clinics. That 74-41 vote wrapped up the second week in a row during which abortion regulations has dominated the conversation at the General Assembly and sent the measure back to the state Senate. Senators will have to take a final floor vote to send the measure on to Gov. Pat McCrory. McCrory issued a veto threat against the measure Tuesday, but House lawmakers say they have since altered the bill to assuage McCrory's objections. McCrory's office has not said whether the changes meet the governor's demands. Critics of the bill say that if the governor signs it, he would be breaking a campaign pledge not to sign any new laws restricting women's access to abortion.” [WRAL, 7/12/13]
¶ Eventually McCrory Went Back On His Promise And Signed The Restrictive Abortion Bill Into Law
McCrory Signed The Anti-Abortion Bill Into Law. According to WRAL, “Gov. Pat McCrory signed 18 bills Monday, including two of the more controversial of the recently ended legislative session – those dealing with gun rights and abortion clinics. Supporters of Senate Bill 353, including the governor, have said it is about raising safety standards among the doctors and clinics that perform abortions.” [WRAL, 7/29/13]
McCrory Claimed That The Abortion Bill Issue Was “Greatly Exaggerated.” According to the Charlotte Business Journal, “A question about the abortion bill prompted a retort over whether critics have even read the bill, a problem the governor learned first-hand during an earlier remark about voter ID. ‘The abortion issue was, again, greatly exaggerated,’ he said. ‘Because the bill that was going to be passed was the one I was going to veto. I think both the right and the left were wrong on this issue. The right, obviously, wrote (the earlier bill) with the clear objective of closing abortion clinics, when it’s legal. I disagreed with that bill. The left turned a blind eye and tried to pretend there were no issues with regard to existing clinics, when in fact there are.’” [Charlotte Business Journal, 8/26/13]
¶ McCrory Contended That The Law Did Not Restrict Access, But Made Abortion Practices Safer
McCrory Claimed Signing The Clinic Regulation Abortion Bill Would Not Violate His Campaign Promise Not To Sign Any New Abortion Restrictions. According to WNCN, “Gov. Pat McCrory said he would not be breaking a campaign promise if he signs legislation establishing new rules for North Carolina abortion clinics. During last fall's campaign, McCrory made it clear he was not interested in signing additional abortion restrictions into law. During a televised debate last October, McCrory was asked which additional abortion restrictions he would agree to sign into law. McCrory responded simply, ‘None.’ […] After the threat of veto, House leaders adjusted the Senate's language with input from McCrory's top health agency administrator. The changes, McCrory said, meet his satisfaction. ‘I will veto [the Senate's bill] if it's passed, because I believe the initial Senate bill did deny more access, which is a campaign commitment that I said wouldn't let happen,’ McCrory said Thursday. ‘We then revised the bill in the House.’” [WNCN, 7/18/13]
McCrory: “This Law Does Not Further Limit Access, And Those Who Contend It Does Are More Interested In Politics Than The Health And Safety Of Our Citizens.” According to WRAL, “Abortion-rights advocates say that provisions of the law, such as excluding abortion coverage from health plans offered to city and county employees, would further limit the availability of and access to the procedure statewide. They argue that, in signing the measure, McCrory is breaking a campaign promise not to allow any further limits on abortion rights. ‘This law does not further limit access, and those who contend it does are more interested in politics than the health and safety of our citizens,’ McCrory said Monday.” [WRAL, 7/29/13]
McCrory Claimed His Signing A Clinic Bill In 2013 Didn’t Break His Campaign Promise Not To Sign Any New Abortion Restrictions Into Law. According to Associated Press State & Local, “The bills’ futures likely rest with legislative leaders and McCrory. The Republican governor said during his 2012 campaign that he wouldn’t sign new abortion restrictions into law. Critics of McCrory said he went back on his promise when he signed the 2013 clinic bill. McCrory disagrees, saying the measure was about patient safety.” [Associated Press State & Local, 4/5/15]
McCrory: “We Not Added One New Regulation Which Restricts Abortions. Not One.” According to a transcript of “Crossfire,” McCrory said, “First of all we've not added one new regulation which restricts abortions. Not one. So you've got to quit reading the signs from the protesters.” [CNN, “Crossfire,” 2/24/14]
¶ The Bill Resulted In The Closure Of Western North Carolina’s Only Abortion Clinic
McCrory Signed Legislation Holding Abortion Clinics To The Same Standards As Those For Outpatient Surgical Facilities Leading To Femcare’s License Suspension In The Following Days. According to WRAL “The state Department of Health and Human Services suspended Femcare’s license last summer, citing safety violations. The clinic closed, then reopened. The suspension came days after Gov. Pat McCrory signed legislation that directed state officials to regulate abortion clinics based on the same standards as those for outpatient surgical centers.” [WRAL, 6/28/14]
- That Meant The Only Abortion Clinic In Western North Carolina Shut Down. According to WRAL, “The only abortion clinic in Western North Carolina is shutting down, leaving the region without service for at least six months.” [WRAL, 6/28/14]
¶ Further Changes Considered
¶ Conservatives Complained About McCrory’s Implementation Of The Restrictions Passed In 2013
Dec. 2014: McCrory’s Department Of Health And Human Services Consulted Doctors, Clinic Representatives And Other Medical Professionals To Update Its Regulations On Abortion Clinics. According to the Associated Press, “Proposed updated rules governing North Carolina's 14 current abortion clinics were released Monday, more than a year after the Republican-led legislature demanded that they be treated like outpatient surgery centers. The regulations were developed from the state Department of Health and Human Services with feedback from doctors, clinic representatives and other medical professionals. Officials say it will raise standards of care within the clinics. The proposal now is subject to public scrutiny before being finalized. Ultimately, the rules likely will be reviewed again by the General Assembly next year. Abortion rights advocates have been worried clinics could shut down as a result of new rules, which are the latest placed on the procedure by lawmakers in North Carolina and in other states in recent years. Gov. Pat McCrory signed the bill setting the rule changes in motion in July 2013.” [Associated Press, 12/1/14]
The North Carolina Values Coalition Slammed McCrory For “Consult[ing] Abortion Doctors” About The New Abortion Restrictions. According to the Associated Press, “A group backing social conservative causes says proposed abortion clinic regulations by North Carolina health officials don't go far enough. Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the North Carolina Values Coalition, also criticized Gov. Pat McCrory and his Department of Health and Human Services for getting comments from abortion providers about the rules. […] The department received comments from Planned Parenthood, which operates clinics in North Carolina, as well as physicians and other health professionals, as the rules were being drafted. But Fitzgerald called it a ‘mistake’ for McCrory and regulators to ‘consult abortion doctors and the abortion industry.’” [Associated Press, 12/2/14]
¶ Progressives Came To The Defense Of McCrory’s Abortion Clinic Rules
2015: Pro-Choice Advocates Spoke Out In Favor Of Abortion Clinic Rules Proposed By McCrory’s Administration. According to WNCN, “Abortion-rights groups and their allies tried Thursday to preserve clinic rules proposed by Gov. Pat McCrory's administration from potential changes by the General Assembly this year they fear would erode constitutionally protected rights to the procedure.” [WNCN, 1/29/15]
Broken Pledge
McCrory Broke His Promise Regarding Abortion Restrictions. According to News & Observer, “The governor eliminated child-care tax credit, earned income tax credit, the back to school sales tax holiday and benefits for college savings plans, while giving tax breaks to the wealthy. He broke his promise not to approve new restrictions on abortion, and went along with legislation requiring fetal ultrasound records be sent to state regulators.” [News & Observer, 10/10/15]
McCrory Angered Pro-Choice Advocates By Signing Abortion And Elections Law Legislation. According to Associated Press, “McCrory has angered the left by signing abortion and elections law legislation, while Cooper refused to challenge some of President Barack Obama's policies and quit defending North Carolina's gay marriage ban, angering the right. Using these or other actions to peg McCrory or Cooper as on the political fringes could doom their candidacies.” [Associated Press, 10/18/15]
Charlotte Observer Editorial HEADLINE: “McCrory Breaks His Promise On Abortion.” [Editorial – Charlotte Observer, 7/12/13]
¶ Media Outlets Immediately Criticized McCrory For Breaking His Promise Not To Sign New Abortion Restrictions Into Law
Charlotte Observer Editorial: “Gov. McCrory, These Are Clearly Further Restrictions On Abortions – The Kind Of Legislation You Pledged On The Campaign Trail You Would Not Sign– And They Have Little To Do With Ensuring A Woman’s Safety.” According to a staff editorial in the Charlotte Observer, “The House bill still makes it harder and more costly for abortions to be performed, and makes access more difficult. It requires doctors to remain present for an entire surgical abortion. The physician also must be present when a woman takes the first dose for a chemically induced abortion. It also blocks any money from the online health insurance marketplace set up under the federal Affordable Care Act from going to fund abortions, and says abortions may not be included in county or city employee health plans. Gov. McCrory, these are clearly further restrictions on abortions – the kind of legislation you pledged on the campaign trail you would not sign – and they have little to do with ensuring a woman’s safety.” [Charlotte Observer, 7/12/13]
News & Record Editorial: McCrory Should “Man Up” And Veto The Abortion Bill. According to a staff editorial in the News & Record, “To your credit, you did threaten to veto the abortion bill if significant changes weren’t made. But now minor modifications (which are mostly cosmetic) give you the opportunity to wriggle out of that ultimatum. Don’t take it. Stand fast. Draw a line. Man up. They may not like that but they’ll respect it. And so will the voters.” [News & Record, 7/14/13]
WRAL HEADLINE: “Abortion Law Breaks McCrory Promise.” According to WRAL, “Raleigh, N.C. — During an Oct. 24, 2012, debate, WRAL News reporter Laura Leslie asked soon-to-be Gov. Pat McCrory the following: ‘If you are elected governor, what further restrictions on abortion would you agree to sign?’ McCrory's one-word reply: ‘None.’ So when McCrory signed a package of changes to the state's abortion laws Monday, did he break that campaign pledge? […] He can certainly lay claim to influencing the course of the bill through the legislature and demanding changes that made the measure somewhat less strict than originally introduced. However, there are still provisions in the measure that would limit the availability of abortion for some women. Given the absolute nature of his promise, by signing Senate Bill 353, he broke that promise.” [WRAL, 7/29/13]