Halfway through 2026, and with just four months until the November election, we at Pro-Choice North Carolina have been reflecting on the work we’ve done over the past year as the news for abortion access and reproductive health care continues to bring some wins, and some losses. While the status quo remains in place, for now, for access to medication abortion, anti-abortion centers are ramming through court cases and state laws to decrease their accountability and transparency even further, while clamoring for increased state and federal tax dollars. The North Carolina General Assembly has not passed any anti-abortion bills since the 12-week ban in 2023, but continues to appropriate millions in state funding for unaccountable and unregulated anti-abortion centers. We’ve also seen extreme anti-abortion restrictions promoting “personhood” for embryos and fetuses introduced in North Carolina and states around the country. 

While the fight for full reproductive freedom for all continues, it’s likely many have missed the numerous ways this freedom is being attacked from behind the scenes. With so many other political crises taking up space in the news, it’s easy to overlook the relentless attempts to ban medication abortion, to introduce a national abortion ban, or to repeal the FACE ACT in Congress. Just because these strategies are not being talked about in the media does not mean those efforts have stopped. At PCNC, we know our work exists beyond the headlines, and have continued our slow and steady efforts of building vocal grassroots support for reproductive freedom, educating elected officials and community leaders about the harms of reproductive oppression, and calling for increased accountability for anti-abortion centers. This work has included:

• Training the next generation of reproductive health leaders through our Campus Leader internship program, where we had four Campus Leaders at four different colleges/universities across North Carolina for the 2025-2026 academic year. Our Campus Leaders engage their classmates, faculty, and staff on their campuses in discussions and actions to support reproductive health care and abortion access, provide resources and accurate information to their fellow students, and motivate their classmates to take action for reproductive freedom.
• Organizing and hosting online community education and awareness events, addressing anti-abortion centers, maternal health in the time of abortion restrictions, why voting rights are reproductive rights, and the importance of state courts. 
• Hosting community events around the state, including a reproductive justice community gathering in Greensboro, and a presentation in Ashe County to discuss reproductive rights and healthcare.
• Four screenings of the documentary Preconceived, a film highlighting the tactics and harms of anti-abortion centers. This included screenings with state lawmakers in Raleigh, and with community members in Chapel Hill, Wilmington, and West Jefferson. 
• Our Executive Director was invited to review and contribute to Public Leadership Institute’s Unregulated Pregnancy Center Policy Playbook (2025), to be used by state lawmakers to hold anti-abortion centers accountable. 
• Working with champions in our state legislature to help introduce and promote proactive reproductive healthcare bills, including:
  • HB 1120 - Financial Effectiveness and Transparency Act
  • SB 907 - The Ciji Graham Act
  • SB 413 - Right to Use Contraception Act
• Endorsing reproductive freedom champions in the 2026 elections. 

As we look forward to the remainder of 2026, we have plans to keep our reproductive freedom supporters ready to cast their votes this fall and be the leaders their communities need when it comes to reproductive rights and health information! We’ll be hosting events to highlight the importance of state judges, remind voters that elected officials at all levels can and do impact our access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare, review any changes to voting rules that we need to be aware of, and expose the tactics and harms of anti-abortion groups. We are also already planning for the 2027 legislative session, including how we can best bring advocate voices to the General Assembly next year. 

Thank you to all of you who have attended our events, shared our social media posts, and signed up for our newsletter. We especially thank all of you who keep talking to your friends, family, and neighbors about the importance of reproductive freedom–you are helping to change the narrative and counter the misinformation! We couldn’t do any of this work without you, and we look forward to the work we will do together the rest of this year.