Thread by @PPSATNC

🚨 Happening now: House and Senate lawmakers have started to take up Senate Bill 20, the 46-page monster abortion ban announced last night. Lawmakers have had less than 11 hours to read the bill.

Watch live: ncleg.gov/LegislativeCal… #NCGA #ncpol #BansOffOurBodies

The monster abortion ban has been put forward as a "conference report," not a regular bill. This is a deliberate procedural move that allows politicians to (1) bypass the standard committee process (2) prevent any amendments to the bill (3) ram it through for a vote. #NCGA #ncpol

"I believe a deliberative body should deliberate. I am very uncomfortable with looking through this bill and seeing the wide range of subjects that are affected... This affects the rights of over half the population of the state." - @LeaderReives #NCGA #ncpol

"This bill should be the most deliberated of any of the bills that we do. This should have been something that went through a full committee process in both chambers instead of people scrambling to figure out what it does and does not do." - @LeaderReives #NCGA #ncpol

"I just want all of you to reflect on the absurdity with which this bill changed and is before us today to pass it out of this committee and potentially vote on it on the Senate floor." - @DanBlueNC #NCGA #ncpol

@DanBlueNC "I also want to underscore the fact that this is one of the most complex subjects in modern medicine, and it is something medical experts should have weighed in on... This is a poor showing of democracy." - @DanBlueNC #NCGA #ncpol

Sen. @jay_chaudhuri is listing all the new restrictions on medication abortion that this monster abortion ban imposes. This is important because bill sponsors made a point to say that the bill did NOT change access to medication abortion. That claim is a lie. #NCGA #ncpol

@jay_chaudhuri "This bill is designed to make it as difficult as possible for a woman to get an abortion in our state." - @jay_chaudhuri #NCGA #ncpol #BansOffOurBodies

"This effectively bans abortion for most working women." - Sen. @Julievmayfield talking about the new in-person requirements for medication abortions. Patients will be required to come in person to a clinic 3 times for a medication abortion. #NCGA #ncpol

@Julievmayfield Sen. @Julievmayfield rightly asking about the new licensing requirements in the monster abortion ban. Currently, no @PPSouthAtlantic health centers have the type of license required in the bill. All clinics would have to apply and meet onerous requirements. #NCGA #ncpol

Rep. Kristen Baker is shamefully spreading medical misinformation about abortion care in order to distract from her true goal: completely ban abortion and force people to carry a pregnancy and give birth against their will. Abortion bans put patient lives in danger. #NCGA #ncpol

"This bill and these restrictions are nothing but harmful to patient and strips away their abilities to make informed decisions with guidance from expertly trained medical professionals. We should be guiding these decisions not politicians." - Dr. Jenna Beckham #NCGA #ncpol

Maternal mortality is skyrocketing in states with abortion bans. That's because they tie the hands of doctors, interfere with medical best practices, and lead to hospitals turning patients away. #NCGA #ncpol

Any abortion allowed after 12 weeks of pregnancy may ONLY be provided in a hospital. Sexual assault survivors who are 12 weeks and 1 day pregnant will have to go to a hospital for care. This will be an insurmountable barrier for many people. #NCGA #ncpol

Important detail on the so-called "exception" for "life-limiting" fetal anomaly: the bill mandates an additional, cruel "informed consent" procedure that includes a mandatory patient referral to a neonatologist. There are strings attached here. #NCGA #ncpol