RALEIGH, N.C., June 16 (UPI) -- North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue is expected to veto a bill that would require a 24-hour waiting period and ultrasound before abortions.

The measure passed the state Senate late Wednesday 29-20, The (Raleigh) News & Observer reported. The House approved it last month 71-48.


If the bill becomes law, women in North Carolina would be required to have an ultrasound or listen to the fetus' heartbeat, and to hear a real-time description from a doctor of what the test shows. Women who are not on Medicaid or lack insurance would have to pay for the ultrasound themselves.

The sponsors dubbed the law the Women's Right to Know Act. State Sen. Eleanor Kinnaird, a Chapel Hill Democrat, called it "an insult to women."

Backers say they hope the bill will make abortions less common in North Carolina, where about 30,000 are performed every year.

"We know statistically that this type of legislation helps to make abortions more rare," said Sen. Warren Daniel, a Republican from Morganton, during the debate.

The Republican majority in the Legislature stripped funding for Planned Parenthood from this year's budget and then successfully overrode Perdue's veto of the entire budget.