North Carolina lawmaker introduces 'Life at Conception' bill

A North Carolina lawmaker has filed a bill into the state legislature that would declare that life begins at the moment of conception.

House Bill 163, introduced by Rep. Beverly G. Boswell on Feb. 22, would provide "equal protection for the right to life of each born and preborn human person," and declare that "the right to life is vested in each human being."

Boswell, the sole sponsor of the bill, said that it will "rescue thousands of unborn children in North Carolina from dying by abortion-on-demand."

The legislation stated that it would not seek to prosecute the mother for the death of her unborn child. It also noted that it would not ban either birth control or in vitro fertilization.

In a statement to Breitbart News, Boswell argued against the common progressive narrative that abortion counts as "health care."

"Abortion is sexist," she said. "The very fact that abortionists have to use a term other than 'abortion' to refer to the act belies the claim that the dismembering of a fetus in the womb is 'health care,'" she added.

Boswell contended that abortion creates the need for health care because it causes problems for women who terminate their pregnancy.

"Mothers who end the lives of their babies see drastically higher rates of depression, anxiety, and addiction, not to mention the fact that a baby is facing a life or death scenario," she said.

Pro-Life NC Executive Director Tonya Baker Nelson lauded the measure and criticized the state's Republican leadership for failing to take initiative to reduce the number of abortions.

A similar measure was recently introduced in Iowa, but it failed to advance due to the lack of support. The Iowa bill declaring that life begins at conception was withdrawn from the agenda of the Senate Judiciary Committee because it did not have enough votes.

Planned Parenthood officials described the bill as a "thinly veiled, unconstitutional attempt to ban abortion" in the state. Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Rachel Lopez noted that some Senate Republicans refused to vote in favor of the measure due to concerns about its unintended consequences.

Jenifer Bowen, a spokeswoman for Iowa Right to Life, expressed her disappointment that the bill failed to even pass the Legislature's first deadline. She noted that critics of the legislation have raised questions whether it would ban in-vitro fertilization and prohibit women from accessing contraceptives.