North Carolina House votes in favor of extending abortion wait time

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- The N.C. House of Representatives voted 74 to 45 to extend the mandatory waiting time for abortion care from 24 to 72 hours on Thursday.

House Bill 465 triples the waiting period between when a woman goes in for a consultation and then has an abortion.

If the bill becomes a law, North Carolina would join three other states with a 72-hour waiting period. Those states are Missouri, South Dakota, and Utah.

Supporters of the bill say it's important to give women time to think about such an important decision.

Critics say the bill restricts a woman's options - at least, for an extra two days.

The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.

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