N.C. governor vetoes abortion legislation

RALEIGH, N.C., June 28 (UPI) -- North Carolina's Democratic governor has vetoed legislation requiring women seeking abortions to wait 24 hours after receiving state-required counseling.

Gov. Bev Purdue called the bill "a dangerous intrusion into the confidential relationship that exists between women and their doctors," The (Raleigh) News & Observer reported.

Purdue said Monday physicians must be able to treat their patients without having their medical knowledge and expertise overridden by "elected officials seeking to impose their own ideological agenda on others."

Purdue's veto of the abortion measure was widely expected, The News & Observer said.

GOP House Speaker Thom Tillis accused Purdue of being too quick with the veto pen.

"Good policies continue to be met with hostility in the governor's office, and that is unfortunate for the people of North Carolina," Tillis said.

To date the governor has vetoed 11 bills passed by the state's Republican-controlled Legislature.