Republicans in North Carolina have introduced a bill seeking to amend the state’s constitution to make abortion at any stage of pregnancy murder and authorizing the use of deadly force to block women from getting the procedure.

House Bill 1232 proposes a constitutional amendment that would establish a fetus as “an individual person from the moment of fertilization until the moment of natural death,” adding “any person who willfully seeks to destroy the life of another person, by any means, at any stage of life, or succeeds in doing so, shall be held accountable for attempted murder or for first degree murder, respectively.”

There are fears that since the bill grants personhood to fertilized eggs, it could criminalize in vitro fertilization (IVF) and even birth control methods like intrauterine devices (IUDs), that prevents the fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus, and other emergency contraception.

The bill also allows for any person to use deadly force against a woman seeking an abortion or even a physician involved in performing the procedure.

“Any person has the right to defend his or her own life or the life of another person, even by the use of deadly force if necessary, from willful destruction by another person,” the bill’s text reads.

The backlash against the bill has so far forced one Republican, Rep. Ben Moss, to remove himself as a sponsor of the legislation.

“I remain firmly pro-life and strongly believe in protecting innocent human life. That conviction has not changed,” Moss wrote in a statement posted to his X account. “However, I also believe legislation must be written with absolute clarity so that its intent cannot be misunderstood or broadly misinterpreted in ways that create fear and confusion.”

“The purpose behind this legislation was to affirm the value and dignity of human life — not to suggest that women should face capital punishment or to create uncertainty surrounding difficult medical situations,” he continued. “Unfortunately, portions of the bill’s current language have led to significant misunderstandings that distract from the core pro-life message and intent.”

Moss’s backtracking on the bill leaves only Rep. Keith Kidwell as the sole sponsor of the legislation.

Still, the bill faces steep odds. Because it would amend the state’s constitution, it will require three-fifths support from lawmakers in the state legislature to make it to the ballot and then be approved by a majority of voters, which is unlikely to happen.