New North Carolina Governor Josh Stein kicked off his term in office today with an online inaugural speech.

State agencies are now ordered not to cooperate with any potential efforts to restrict access to birth control in North Carolina, and to refuse to help investigate doctors who provide legal abortions or other reproductive health care, Democratic Gov. Josh Stein declared Thursday in a new executive order.

Protecting women's rights, particularly around reproductive freedoms, was a key focus of Stein's 2024 campaign for governor. He positioned himself in stark contrast with the Republican-led state legislature, which in 2023 passed a new law further restricting abortion access in North Carolina, as well as with Stein's Republican opponent Mark Robinson, who had indicated that if he had been elected governor he'd have pushed for more restrictions on abortion.

"Our state has seen alarming attacks on women's reproductive rights over the past few years, and I remain committed to doing everything in my power to protect women's freedoms and their privacy," Stein said in announcing the new order. "I am directing my cabinet agencies to take specific action to protect women and health care providers from extreme anti-reproductive freedom laws."