North Carolina's Republican-led legislature has agreed on a plan to ban abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases of rape, incest, fetal anomaly, or when the mother's life is threatened. While the legislation preserves access to abortion for most women in the state who seek it, a closer examination of the fine print reveals potential harms to women. The vast majority of abortions after 12 weeks are not following "choice," but stem from situations where the pregnancy is severely impaired, or the woman's life is at risk. The line between a mother's "health" and "life" in these situations can often be far from clear. In the past, women have been put in compromised life-threatening situations due to restrictive abortion legislation in other states. While this ban is less restrictive than others that have come before it, GOP lawmakers in North Carolina hope it will establish a standard for similarly minded states.