Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. Moore
This case challenges five abortion restrictions in North Carolina, including one that prevents qualified health care professionals from providing abortion care.
(REVISED 12.18.2021) – This case challenges five measures meant to restrict abortion in North Carolina, including:
- A licensing scheme that arbitrarily singles out abortion providers with medically unnecessary and onerous requirements.
- A ban that prevents qualified advanced practice clinicians (APCs), such as physician assistants, certified nurse-midwives, and nurse practitioners, from providing abortions.
- A ban on the use of telehealth for medication abortion.
- A requirement that providers deliver state-mandated biased counseling with no medical benefit to their patients.
- A mandatory delay for patients seeking abortion care of at least 72 hours after they receive state-mandated information.
It is already difficult to access abortion care in North Carolina, as decades of attacks on reproductive health have chipped away at the public health system and the number of providers available to North Carolinians. In the past decade, state politicians have passed nearly 500 abortion restrictions, many of which were aimed at physicians. The Center works to protect the right to abortion in North Carolina, across the U.S., and around the world.
Plaintiff(s): Planned Parenthood South Atlantic; SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective; A Woman’s Choice of Charlotte, Inc.; A Woman’s Choice of Greensboro, Inc.; A Woman’s Choice of Raleigh, Inc; three doctors; and one APC. They are represented by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of North Carolina, and the Center for Reproductive Rights
Center Attorneys: Caroline Sacerdote, Autumn Katz, Jen Rasay
Co-Counsel/Cooperating Attorneys: Susan Lambiase, Hana Bajramovic, Brigitte Amiri, Clara Spera, Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, Jaclyn Maffetore, Kristi Graunke, Elizabeth Barber
Summary:
On September 3, 2020, the Center and its partners filed a complaint in Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. Moore asking the North Carolina Superior Court to strike down several abortion restrictions that violate North Carolina’s Constitution. In January 2021, the defendants filed a motion to dismiss, but in May 2021, the Court denied this motion on two of three grounds, with the third ground referred to a three-judge panel in accordance with North Carolina law.
State: North Carolina
Status: Open
Documents:
- Complaint 09.03.2020
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