The governor of North Carolina, a Democrat, vetoed a bill on Saturday that would have prohibited nearly all abortions in the state after 12 weeks of pregnancy, to the cheers of a lively audience.

Abortion-rights supporters and citizens witnessed Governor Roy Cooper vetoing a bill in a public show of action at a plaza in Raleigh. The veto presents a significant challenge to the Republican-led General Assembly, which must decide whether to override the decision following their recent attainment of veto-proof majorities in both chambers. This legislation was proposed by Republicans in response to the 2020 Supreme Court ruling that repealed the Roe v. Wade decision.

“We’re going to have to kick it into an even higher gear when that veto stamp comes down,” Cooper told the crowd. “If just one Republican in either the House or the Senate keeps a campaign promise to protect women’s reproductive health, we can stop this ban.”

Andrea Long, a 42-year-old mother of three from Cary, expressed her pride in being a part of the “energized” group on a momentous occasion for freedom in North Carolina. She believed it was a historical day, and it was an honor to witness it.

“I couldn’t stop crying tears of joy seeing the governor hold up the veto stamp, but I know it’s an uphill battle to keep this momentum going,” Long expressed. According to State Capitol Police Deputy Chief Terry Green, over 2,000 people were estimated to be in attendance during the Saturday statement, as provided by Cooper’s office.

Cooper was a firm proponent of abortion rights, and he had until Sunday evening to take action regarding the new law that strengthens North Carolina’s current legislation on abortion. The new law prohibits most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and was approved along party lines in both the House and Senate. Override voting may be scheduled for next week.

Cooper was away for the week discussing the less known facts about the bill and encouraging people to put pressure on important Republican lawmakers who were hesitant to impose more restrictions during their campaigns last year.

Republicans claim that the measure is a moderate solution to state abortion laws, resulting from several months of private negotiations between House and Senate GOP members. The proposal includes some exceptions, extending the time limit for abortions from 12 weeks to 20 weeks in cases of rape and incest, and up to 24 weeks in case of “life-limiting” fetal anomalies.

On Saturday, Phil Berger, who is the Senate leader, accused Cooper of lying to the public and pressuring his party members to prevent the passage of the legislation. Berger stated that he would override Cooper’s veto unabashedly.

Cooper has repeatedly stated that the 47-page bill reveals itself to not be a fair compromise and poses a significant threat to reproductive rights. He argues that the bill would create additional impediments for women seeking abortions, including mandating multiple in-person appointments, more administrative work to verify a patient’s informed consent for an abortion, and tighter regulations for clinics that perform the procedure.

Cooper and other supporters claim that implementing these new licensing requirements will lead to the closure of clinics that are unable to afford expensive upgrades. This will make it extremely difficult for women living in rural areas or with long work hours to obtain necessary abortion services.

Compared to other states where the procedure has been entirely banned, the recent 12-week abortion prohibition in Republican-controlled legislatures may seem less severe. However, abortion-rights activists believe that the prohibition has far-reaching consequences and is more restrictive than it appears. The overturning of Roe has resulted in people coming to North Carolina from states with more restrictive laws to seek later-term abortions.

Republicans view the legislation as being supportive of families and children due to the inclusion of over $160 million designated for maternal health services, foster and adoption care, access to contraceptives, and offering paid leave to teachers and state employees after they have a child.

Cooper publicly criticized a group of four GOP legislators, including three representatives and one senator, for their failure to uphold promises to protect abortion access made during the previous year’s election. Activists supporting abortion rights distributed flyers during a gathering on Saturday, featuring the names and office phone numbers of the lawmakers in question. In response, groups opposing abortion condemned Cooper’s efforts to influence one or more Republicans across the state.

“The way he’s been showing up in their districts and harassing their constituents, it’s disgusting,” remarked Wes Bryant, among 60 anti-abortion demonstrators who congregated opposite Cooper’s rally to hold a prayer event.

One of the representatives called out by Cooper is Rep. Tricia Cotham from Mecklenburg County. She cast her vote in favor of the bill shortly after switching her party affiliation from the Democratic to the GOP. By switching and voting as she did, Cotham contributed to a veto-proof supermajority.

Cotham has previously advocated for the right to have an abortion, and recently supported a bill that aimed to make abortion protections into state law. Rep. Ted Davis was the only Republican legislator absent from the House vote last week, and some lawmakers were targeted due to their stance on the issue. It is worth noting that the Senate margin has become veto-proof due to the GOP increases following the elections last November.

Last year, Davis stated his support for the current law in North Carolina, which permits abortions up to 20 weeks. Davis has not provided any comment on the recent bill, but according to House Speaker Tim Moore, he is expected to vote in favor of overriding it.

Similar to Berger, Moore alleged that Cooper was disseminating incorrect information about the bill to scare voters and projected a prompt override in his assembly.