CHARLOTTE — A federal judge is allowing North Carolina’s abortion ban to take effect. Starting Saturday, women in the state will not be able to get an abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Channel 9′s Ken Lemon spoke with a woman who said she got an illegal abortion almost 60 years ago. Betty Gunz said she’s concerned about the impact of the new law but she’s trying to remain hopeful.
Gunz believes new regulations will force some women to put their lives at risk the way she says she did.
“I know what happens when you get illegal abortions,” she said.
Almost 60 years ago, Gunz was a 20-year-old college student in Charlotte. She got pregnant by a man she said had bipolar disorder.
“Our lives were very chaotic, and I knew it would not be fair to a child,” she said.
In 1965, she had an abortion -- before abortions were legal. She said her injuries were so severe that the men who helped her get that abortion told her boyfriend to do something chilling.
“He needed to take me out on a dirt road at night and leave me there,” Gunz said.
Instead, he took her to the hospital. But still, she almost died.
Six years later, she became a mother and said she has no regrets about any of it.
“It was a blessing to my life,” Gunz said.
She worries about the restrictions of the new state law, one of which is a requirement that women have two in-person consultations. Gunz believes women past the new 12-week deadline will do what she did.
“They can only outlaw safe abortions,” she said.
She believes infant mortality rates will skyrocket without the care some clinics provide. And with the new regulations hours from becoming law, Lemon asked how she felt.
“I guess I’m an optimist because I hope something’s going to happen between now and tomorrow,” Gunz said.
She knew that was a long shot. Lawmakers who passed the bill said changing the abortion deadline from 20 weeks to 12 weeks was a compromise that keeps abortion legal in North Carolina while reducing the number of abortions.
Several other states have banned abortion after six weeks.
Some abortion rights opponents said Friday that they worry the courts will eventually reverse laws limiting abortions.
Some protesters at an east Charlotte clinic said a compromise doesn’t work for them, because they say abortion is murder. They fear anything less than a ban leaves the door open for Roe v. Wade to return.
“Every piece of legislation that we pass trying to end this -- and the motives are really sincere -- are almost useless ‘cause they are always going to get locked up in court,” said Flip Benham with Operation Rescue.
Some told Lemon they do see one benefit from the new law -- They think it may force some clinics to close, making abortions harder to get.
(WATCH BELOW: VP Kamala Harris speaks about reproductive rights 1 year after SCOTUS Roe V. Wade overturn)
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