Michael Whatley, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, praised North Carolina's 12-week abortion ban when the General Assembly overrode Governor Roy Cooper's veto in May 2023, calling it "balanced and widely-supported legislation" while he chaired the state Republican Party. In the law's first month, July 2023, abortions in North Carolina fell 31%, the Guttmacher Institute found.
A year earlier, after a draft of the Supreme Court's decision leaked, Whatley pledged to elect "pro-life majorities" in North Carolina for "a post-Roe future." As chair of the Republican National Committee he called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act "a huge win for all Americans" in July 2025; for a year the law cut Planned Parenthood off from Medicaid, a ban that lapsed in July 2026 after Planned Parenthood affiliates had closed nearly 30 clinics.
Michael Whatley's Statements Backing North Carolina's 12-Week Ban and the Planned Parenthood Cutoff
- Whatley Praised North Carolina's 12-Week Abortion Ban When Legislators Overrode the Veto in May 2023. As chair of the North Carolina Republican Party, Michael Whatley said on May 16, 2023, the day the North Carolina House voted to override Governor Roy Cooper's veto of Senate Bill 20: "I commend our Republican-led General Assembly for overriding Gov. Cooper's veto of this balanced and widely-supported legislation and moving forward to protect life in North Carolina." The law bans most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy; before July 1, 2023, North Carolina had a ban on most abortions after 20 weeks. It also requires patients to make two in-person visits to a clinic separated by 72 hours. In July 2023, the law's first month, an estimated 2,920 abortions were provided in North Carolina's formal health care system, compared with an estimated 4,230 in June, a 31% decline and by far the largest drop in the country, according to Guttmacher's Monthly Abortion Provision Study.
- Whatley Welcomed the Expected End of Roe v. Wade and Pledged to Elect "Pro-Life Majorities" in North Carolina. On May 3, 2022, after a leaked draft showed the Supreme Court preparing to overturn Roe v. Wade, the North Carolina Republican Party, which Michael Whatley chaired, said it "is optimistic that the Supreme Court will overturn Planned Parenthood v. Casey and Roe v. Wade" and that "The North Carolina General Assembly will be called upon to enact legislation protecting the unborn in this state." Whatley said in the statement that "we will continue fighting from now through Election Day and beyond to ensure that we have pro-life majorities as we face a post-Roe future." The Supreme Court overturned Roe in the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health case in June 2022. By the time North Carolina's 12-week ban took effect in July 2023, abortion was almost entirely illegal in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee, so North Carolina had served as an access point for the region, The 19th reported.
- The Law Whatley Called "a Huge Win" Cut Off Planned Parenthood's Medicaid Payments for a Year, and Clinics Closed. As chair of the Republican National Committee, Michael Whatley called the final House passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act "a huge win for all Americans" in a July 3, 2025 statement. That endorsement covers section 71113, which barred federal Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood for care "furnished during the 1-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act," July 4, 2025. The one-year ban lapsed on July 4, 2026, and Medicaid billing was allowed to resume the next day, AP reported. During the year, Planned Parenthood says its affiliates closed nearly 30 of its roughly 600 clinics. Planned Parenthood's own report on the year found Medicaid visits dropping by 25% or over 250,000 visits, and it said two-thirds (66%) of the closures were in rural areas.
- The Law Whatley Praised Threatens Medicaid Coverage for 2.1 Million Women of Reproductive Age. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Michael Whatley called "a huge win for all Americans" on July 3, 2025, requires adults in the Medicaid expansion to show 80 hours a month of work, school or service, starting no later than January 1, 2027. In November 2025 Whatley said the law's new work requirements are "widely supported in North Carolina." The Guttmacher Institute estimates that the work requirements on their own threaten to eliminate Medicaid coverage for 2.1 million women aged 19-49 by 2034, based on Congressional Budget Office projections. Medicaid covers 41% of all US births, and 23% of US women rely on Medicaid to pay for contraceptive care, Guttmacher reports.
What the Abortion Limits and Medicaid Cuts Michael Whatley Backed Mean for North Carolina
- Fewer abortions. North Carolina's July 2023 decline represented 1,310 fewer abortions than the month before, and nearby states did not report enough of an increase to offset it, which The 19th reported suggests that some people who otherwise would have gotten abortions were forced to remain pregnant.
- Postpartum coverage. North Carolina hospital assessments pay $24 million to provide Medicaid coverage for postpartum women for up to one year after birth; with the law's limits on provider taxes, that coverage may be in jeopardy of facing reductions or being eliminated entirely over time, the North Carolina Medical Journal reported in December 2025.
- Women on Medicaid. North Carolina Medicaid covers more than 3 million children and adults, and approximately 56% of enrollees are female, according to the North Carolina Medical Journal.
Frequently Asked Questions About Michael Whatley on Abortion and reproductive health
What is Michael Whatley's record on abortion and reproductive health under Trump?
Michael Whatley praised North Carolina's 12-week abortion ban in May 2023 as chair of the state Republican Party, after pledging in May 2022 to elect "pro-life majorities" for a post-Roe future. As chair of the Republican National Committee he called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act "a huge win for all Americans," a law that for one year barred Planned Parenthood from Medicaid, a ban that has since lapsed, and whose Medicaid work requirements threaten coverage for millions of women. In North Carolina, abortions dropped sharply in the 12-week law's first month.
Does Michael Whatley support North Carolina's 12-week abortion ban?
Yes. Michael Whatley called North Carolina's 12-week ban "balanced and widely-supported legislation" when the General Assembly overrode Governor Roy Cooper's veto on May 16, 2023. The Guttmacher Institute's analysis found that the law's requirement of two clinic visits 72 hours apart cut access: "the state's two-visit requirement had a significant impact on people's ability to get abortions," The 19th reported.
Did Michael Whatley support overturning Roe v. Wade?
Yes. In May 2022, after the draft Dobbs opinion leaked, the North Carolina Republican Party under Michael Whatley said it was "optimistic that the Supreme Court will overturn Planned Parenthood v. Casey and Roe v. Wade," and Whatley said he had worked "to elect pro-life candidates to the Senate, Congress and the State Legislature." The General Assembly passed the 12-week ban the following year.
Is Planned Parenthood still cut off from Medicaid under the law Michael Whatley praised?
No. The Planned Parenthood Medicaid ban in the law Michael Whatley called "a huge win" lasted one year, and Medicaid billing resumed in July 2026, AP reported. The lapse did not reverse the closures: AP reported that a closed clinic in Lakeland, Florida, is not expected to reopen. With the federal ban over, KFF notes, the decision shifts to states: the governors of Nebraska and Oklahoma issued executive orders blocking Planned Parenthood from Medicaid.
Last updated: 2026-10-25