Bill > H1232

This bill proposes to amend the North Carolina Constitution by adding a new section that declares a distinct and separate human life begins at the moment of fertilization, and this life is to be recognized as an individual person protected by state law from fertilization until natural death, unless that person has been convicted of a capital offense. The bill specifies that anyone who attempts to destroy such a life would be held accountable for attempted murder, and anyone who succeeds would be charged with first-degree murder, while also affirming the right to self-defense or defense of another, even with deadly force, and stating the state's duty to protect innocent lives and punish those who take them, provided the victim has not committed a crime punishable by death. This proposed constitutional amendment would be put to a vote of the people in the general election of 2026, and if approved by a majority, would become effective on January 1, 2027.