Republican candidate EC Sykes is running for an open seat in the North Carolina State Senate in District 18, composed of portions of Wake and Granville Counties. Sykes has said abortion is a critical issue that compelled him to run for office because “the fight to protect the unborn is not over.”
Following the United States Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and eliminate federal protections for abortion access, Sykes praised the ruling and said there is “work to be done in NC.”
A candidate survey produced by the North Carolina Values Coalition suggests that the “work” that E.C. Sykes would like to see done in the state legislature could include a total abortion ban and even a ban on common forms of birth control.
Sykes said that he believes abortion “should be outlawed in all situations” and suggests that he would support a total abortion ban without exceptions. Sykes also said he believes that life “begins at conception”, a policy preference that could effectively ban several contraception methods.
Syke’s opponent, Democratic candidate Mary Willis Bode has been outspoken on protecting abortion rights. Bode is an Oxford attorney from a long line of Granville County residents. Bode has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood, one of the state’s largest women’s healthcare providers.
Abortion remains legal in North Carolina up to the 20th week of pregnancy. Governor Roy Cooper (D) has vetoed several pieces of anti-abortion legislation in recent years and said he will “hold the line to protect women’s reproductive freedom.”
However, if Republicans gain two additional seats in the state Senate and three more seats in the state House, they would have the power to override the Governor’s veto and fast-track their anti-abortion agenda.
Now more than ever, abortion is on the ballot in North Carolina.
