Today, most states have some kind of law that affects access to abortion. According to the Guttmacher Institute, in 35 states, a woman must receive counseling before an abortion is performed, and 26 of those states require a woman to wait a specific amount of time, usually 24 hours, between counseling and the procedure.  

In North Carolina, a parent, guardian or grandparent with whom you have lived for at least six months must give consent before a minor may have an abortion.  A judicial bypass or waiver must be obtained if a minor is unable to get consent for the procedure.

“The states are subject to what the court allows them to do,” says Dan McConchie, Vice President of Government Affairs for Americans United for Life.

McConchie says the emotional and divisive issue of abortion is as strong today as it was in 1973.

“ I believe that the legislature this year will pass additional protective laws that the Supreme Court clearly allows, so I believe we are going to see more laws passed in North Carolina this year. But until there is a change in the U.S. Supreme Court, this is something that is going to be ongoing debate and something that we will be talking about over the next several years,"  says McConchie.

Meanwhile, a North Carolina lawmaker says he expects to see new proposals limiting abortions in the upcoming General Assembly session.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reports that Rep. Paul "Skip" Stam said a law is being drafted to remove abortions from the health care exchange. He said lawmakers also will need to consider a similar bill to ban abortions based on sex selection.