Last summer, after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturned the federal right to have an abortion, much ink was spilled on the possibility that Republicans, eager to pass a new round of abortion bans, would feel compelled at the same time to improve the social safety net to help the women and children their new laws would affect.
But that spending has largely not materialized. Though nearly 20 states have banned abortion over the past year, experts say few have put meaningful dollars into supporting children and families.
In recent weeks, it might have seemed as though that was changing. In Florida, which passed a six-week abortion ban last month, state legislators voted to expand children’s health insurance and put real money behind those plans. In North Carolina, a 12-week abortion ban includes some additional support for children and families — but the provisions are not as generous as they might first appear.
The two states’ approaches reveal a party struggling to figure out how to tamp down the political backlash that has followed the end of Roe: Are symbolic gestures enough? Or do Republicans really have to get serious about shoring up government assistance for children and families?
North Carolina recently has been the most prominent battleground over abortion rights in America. The state legislature passed a 12-week abortion ban, which was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. Republicans possessed enough seats in the legislature to override Cooper’s veto on Tuesday.
In addition to banning abortion after 12 weeks, with some exceptions for rape, incest, or the health of the mother, the North Carolina law requires multiple in-person appointments before a person could be prescribed medication for an abortion. It also introduces intrusive reporting requirements, such as mandating that doctors report a patient’s fertility history to the state government after an abortion, including information such as their number of live pregnancies,…
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