Lawmakers approve abortion waiting period

North Carolina lawmakers passed a bill that would make the state one of several with 72-hour waiting periods for an abortion, sending the measure to the governor’s desk.

Republican Gov. Pat McCrory has not said whether he supports the bill. The House and Senate chambers in the GOP-controlled Legislature topped the threshold for overcoming a veto, should the governor choose to veto the bill.

Bill supporters have said that increasing the waiting period from the current 24 hours would give pregnant women more time to collect information about a difficult decision. The bill’s House sponsors also said they hoped the measure would lead to fewer abortions.