North Carolina's governor signed an executive order Wednesday aimed at protecting access to abortion, including safeguards for women who travel to the state for an abortion.

The order directs cabinet agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Public Safety, to not cooperate with states that ask for information to prosecute women who come to North Carolina for an abortion. The order also says the state will decline requests to extradite people to other states if they are going to be prosecuted for criminalized abortions.

“The Supreme Court ripped away the constitutional right to reproductive freedom that women have relied on for five decades,” Gov. Roy Cooper said. “For now, it’s up to the states to determine whether women get reproductive health care, and in North Carolina they still can."

"Your ZIP code should not determine your rights," Cooper said.

He said the state would protect women who decide to come to North Carolina for an abortion, and he is making sure local police departments and sheriff's offices do the same.

Cooper signed the order Wednesday, flanked by abortion-rights advocates in the Governor's Mansion. He said the order also instructs cabinet agencies to work to protect reproductive health services in North Carolina. It also states those agencies cannot make a pregnant employee travel to a state without access to abortion.

The governor said he is working with the Department of Public Safety, which includes the Highway Patrol and the State Bureau of Investigation, to make sure local law enforcement agencies enforce laws protecting abortion clinics and people seeking services. Cooper said he has been speaking with local law enforcement agencies to make sure they enforce the law barring people from blocking access to clinics.

About 200 women from out of state came or are coming to North Carolina this week for abortion services at Planned Parenthood, according to Alexis Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

“Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, North Carolina has become an increasingly critical access point for people traveling for abortion care, including from neighboring South Carolina and Tennessee, where lawmakers in both states have swiftly banned most abortions," said Johnson, who joined Cooper on Wednesday.

North Carolina is one of the only states in the South where abortion isn't severely restricted or banned. The state does have some restrictions on the books, including a mandatory 72-hour waiting period.  

"Now, we must continue to do everything in our power to ensure abortion remains accessible in North Carolina, both for North Carolinians and those forced to flee their own state amid mounting restrictions and cruel bans,” she said.

Cooper warned that Democrats need to hold onto every seat possible in the General Assembly elections this fall. The Republicans are just shy of having a veto-proof majority in both the House and Senate. If the GOP does win enough seats to overturn Cooper's veto, North Carolina could see laws that would severely risk or ban abortions.

“To keep abortion legal in this state, North Carolinians must elect candidates who will protect access to sexual and reproductive health care at the state level and ensure Governor Cooper has the necessary votes to sustain his veto of the all-out attacks on reproductive freedom that are sure to come," said Jenny Black, president of Planned Parenthood Votes South Atlantic. 

"We've worked hard to make sure things haven't changed since the Supreme Court decision came down to overturn Roe," said Tara Romano, executive director of Pro-choice NC. 

She said she is continuing to push for strong reproductive health care options in North Carolina.

Dr. Katherine Farris, who is the chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, said nearly 200 patients receiving abortions in North Carolina are from out of state. 

"These out of state patients make 1/3 of our scheduled patients for this week alone," Farris said. 

Romano said she'll continue to do what she can for women and fight against any other obstacles that they may face. 

“We have been able to prevent more restrictions from coming into place. We are going to keep working with lawmakers and working with the governor," Romano said.