DURHAM, N.C. – In an effort to protect unborn life and promote maternal health and safety, the Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the North Carolina Senate filed a motion Tuesday through their Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys that asks a federal district court to allow the lawmakers to intervene in defense of the state’s duly enacted pro-life laws.
In the case, Bryant v. Stein, an abortionist in the state is challenging five laws aimed at promoting maternal health and safety by requiring that abortions be performed in person by a qualified physician in a certified hospital or clinic, after a woman has provided voluntary and informed consent following a period of reflection. Speaker Tim Moore and President Pro Tempore Phil Berger are asking the court to allow them to enter the case so that they can defend the laws.
“Women who become unexpectedly pregnant should be empowered with life-affirming options and resources to make the best choice for themselves and their unborn babies,” said ADF Senior Counsel Denise Harle, director of the ADF Center for Life. “Tragically, many women turn to abortion as a last resort, unaware of the harms of chemical abortion or the resources available to them. No one benefits more from this situation than abortionists, who profit with each abortion they sell. We urge the court to allow Speaker Moore and President Pro Tempore Berger to help defend North Carolina’s pro-life and pro-woman laws.”
The memo filed in support of the motion to intervene with the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, Durham Division, explains that the state’s top lawmakers should be allowed to intervene in the lawsuit because “Attorney General Stein refuses to defend the challenged laws … and the Legislative Leaders will offer a vigorous defense of North Carolina’s laws providing basic protections for women undergoing the serious and life-altering procedure of abortion. The Court should grant the Motion to Intervene and allow the Legislative Leaders to defend North Carolina’s duly enacted laws.”
ADF attorneys have represented Moore and Berger in two other cases defending North Carolina’s pro-life laws: Bryant v. Woodall and Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. Moore.
- Pronunciation guide: Harle (HAR’-lee)
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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