Representative Carl Ford – District 76
Thirteenth Week of the 2015 Long Session
The crossover crunch continued in Raleigh this week. My schedule was crammed with committee meetings—seven on Wednesday alone! The major news from this week is the passage of some strong Pro-Life legislation and a motion from the US Supreme Court regarding the 2010 redistricting maps.
Early this week, the US Supreme Court ruled that district map drawers in Alabama relied too heavily on racial demographic data. As a result, the Supreme Court “remanded” North Carolina’s district mapping for a second look. This is an entirely procedural and expected result. When the Supreme Court rules an intervening decision, it typically submits that decision to state supreme courts to submit their own opinion. Because the Alabama case hinged on entirely different sections of the Voter Rights Act, in addition to entirely different legal issues, we are confident that the NC Supreme Court will reach the same decision it has in the past and that the US Supreme Court will affirm that decision.
Bill Updates
“72 Hours Informed Consent by Person or Phone” – House Bill 465
As long as the Federal Courts uphold that abortion is a constitutional right for women, citizens in each states are only able to pass legislation that would regulate abortion practices, specifically to ensure that the procedure is safe and that the significant, life-changing decision to get an abortion is seriously considered. On Thursday, four of the House’s most prominent female legislators presented HB 465 on the House floor. The bill would require that physicians who perform aborts report certain, privacy protected medical and demographic characteristics of patients who receive an abortion to DHHS. More importantly, however, are sections 2 and 3 of the bill, which require that the “informed consent” lawfully required to receive an abortion is defined by a waiting period of 72 hours, an increase from 24 hours.
The prominent female legislators who drafted this bill stated that 72 hours is the minimum amount of time that someone might reasonably consider the consequences of such a decision. When the Committee on Health heard the bill earlier in the week, many medical professionals and even woman who previously received abortions testified that they agree with the bill drafters. I was proud to cosign this legislation and support it in both the Committee on Health and on the House floor. The bill will likely receive its last vote in the House on Monday, after which it will be sent to the Senate before being submitted to the Governor to be signed into law.
Thank you for taking the time to read about the work I was able to accomplish this week for Cabarrus and Rowan. Expect to hear big news as the 152nd resumes its legislative session and budget process.
Please share this newsletter with your friends and family in the district. And please remember to tune into the Houses’ Weekly Republican Address on YouTube and Town Hall Thursdays on Twitter. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
God Bless,
Carl
Legislative Office: (919) 733-5881
District Office: (704) 305-3541
carl.ford@ncleg.net
