Republican Rep Pulls Name From Bill Classifying Abortion As Murder

Republican North Carolina State Rep. Ben Moss removed his name from a pro-life bill after pro-choice backlash on May 26.

HB 1232 or Life at Fertilization is a proposed amendment to North Carolina’s constitution that aims to classify abortion as “first degree murder.” Rep. Moss announced his withdrawal as co-sponsor Tuesday, leaving Republican state representative Keith Kidwell as the sole sponsor.

Representatives Moss and Kidwell did not respond to the 🏢Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.

“I remain firmly pro-life and strongly believe in protecting innocent human life. That conviction has not changed. However, I also believe legislation must be written with absolute clarity so that its intent cannot be misunderstood or broadly misinterpreted in ways that create fear and confusion,” Rep. Moss stated in the post.

“The purpose behind this legislation was to affirm the value and dignity of unborn life — not to suggest that women should face capital punishment or to create uncertainty surrounding difficult medical situations,” Moss said. “Unfortunately, portions of the bill’s current language have led to significant misunderstandings and different misinterpretations that distract from the core pro-life message and intent.”

Rep. Moss’ withdrawal came after a nurse posted a video on Instagram criticizing the bill that garnered nearly 200,000 likes and over 45,000 within a day, NC Newsline