Inside the legislative abortion debate, as heard on the Under the Dome podcast 2023

On the most recent edition of Under the Dome, the political podcast produced by The News & Observer, for the week of May 8, 2023, host and state Capitol bureau chief Dawn Vaughan discusses what’s going on in North Carolina politics with her colleagues Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi and Avi Bajpai.

Vaughan, Perez Uribe, and Bajpai discussed the discussion that took place in the House and Senate about Senate Bill 20, which places limitations on abortion.

Listen to the meeting to learn about the parliamentary process and argument flow.

During crossover week, which was the self-imposed legislative deadline for most proposals to pass at least one house in order to stay alive this session, the Under the Dome crew wrote several pieces about the abortion law that was fast-tracked. During crossover week, the bill was given priority status.

They discuss the reasons why the law was attacked for a lack of openness in the hurried process, as well as the changes that have taken place over the previous few years to make records from the General Assembly more available than they were in the past.

This week, Bajpai, Vaughan, and Perez Uribe spent hours speaking on the floor of the House and Senate, and they took their audiences with them for a tour of the Legislative Building.