North Carolina Republicans introduce bill to ban nearly all abortions statewide

HB 804 revives a post-Roe battle over reproductive rights, with penalties that could include prison time and six-figures fines.

On Monday, Republican lawmakers in North Carolina filed a bill that would ban virtually all abortions in the state, reviving a legislative battle over reproductive rights with new legal consequences for providers, advocates, and potentially even patients’ families.

If passed, House Bill 804 would mark one of the strictest abortion bans in the country. Sponsored by Republican Representatives Keith Kidwell (District 79), Ben T. Moss, Jr. (District 52), and Donnie Loftis (District 109), HB 804 would outlaw abortion from the moment of conception, with a single exception: if the pregnancy poses a life-threatening risk to the pregnant person. Titled the “Human Life Protection Act of 2025,” the bill includes no exceptions for cases of rape or incest, and would impose felony charges on medical professionals who perform the procedure, alongside civil penalties of at least $100,000 per violation.

The proposal also includes language that could criminalize those who assist someone in seeking an abortion—including friends, family members, or advocacy organizations that provide information, logistical help, or financial support. The bill currently sits in committee.

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Abortion is currently legal in North Carolina through 12 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy. Exceptions allow access through 20 weeks in cases of rape or incest, up to 24 weeks in the case of life-limiting fetal anomalies, and during the duration of pregnancy is a mother’s life is in danger. State law requires patients to receive in-person counseling at least 72 hours before the procedure and mandates that abortions after 12 weeks be performed in a hospital setting.

While Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly, the bill is unlikely to ultimately become law. Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, is expected to veto the legislation—given his executive order on reproductive rights upon being elected. Republicans also do not currently have the votes in the state House to override that veto without bipartisan support. 

But HB 804 could be used as a gateway for adding more restrictions to the current law.

Nonetheless, Jillian Riley, director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, called the bill a dangerous escalation in legislative efforts to restrict reproductive care.

“Year after year, the most extreme politicians in our legislature put forward the same heinous bill that seeks to strip us of our basic reproductive freedom and turn North Carolina into a forced-birth state,” Riley said in a statement. “It’s dangerous and deeply unpopular—like all legislation that threatens our individual right to control our bodies, families, and futures.”

The abortion ban is one of two restrictive reproductive health measures introduced this session. House Bill 553, filed a week earlier, targets medication abortion by prohibiting the mailing or shipment of abortion-inducing drugs without in-person physician oversight. The bill would make it functionally impossible to ship or mail abortion-inducing medication into the state by requiring in-person counseling from a physician at least 72 hours before the drugs are dispensed, effectively banning remote access and mail-order distribution.

Both bills reflect a broader national trend, as GOP-led legislatures across the country advance laws to limit or eliminate access to abortion following the US Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. North Carolina, which has historically served as a destination for abortion access in the Southeast, remains a key state in the post-Roe legal and political landscape.

“Abortion is a critical component of comprehensive reproductive health care, and everyone deserves to access the care they need, without politicians controlling when, how, or why,” Riley said.

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