South Carolina House passes legislation imposing near-total abortion ban

The ban prohibits abortions with exceptions for the health of the mother, including substantial risk due to a physical condition or irreversible impairment to the mother. It creates a felony with a fine of up to $10,000 for anyone who “performs or abets an abortion or who uses force or the threat of force to injure or intimidate a person for the purpose of coercing an abortion.”

State Rep. John McCravy (R), one of the co-sponsors of the bill, said in a statement to the Washington Examiner that passing the bill is a victory for the Family Caucus and anti-abortion conservatives.

“More importantly, this bill makes the statement that [South Carolina] will protect the ‘least of these’ — those in the womb who cannot speak for themselves,” McCravy said.

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The bill passed 63-38 and will advance to the Senate, where a tougher debate is expected based on past abortion access bills. Currently, Republicans hold both the Senate and the House. If it passes the Senate, the bill will go to Gov. Henry McMaster (R) to be signed.

McMaster previously signed the South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act, which included the six-week ban. The bill had been blocked since 2021 but had a brief green light after Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Republicans presented a more restrictive version of the legislation on Tuesday, but it failed to pass. The legislation did not include a rape or incest exception. State Rep. Nathan Ballentine (R) said in a floor speech on Tuesday that his colleagues needed to support the bill, even if it included exceptions.

“We got chess going on right now; some people are playing checkers, and some don’t even know a game’s going on,” Ballentine said Tuesday. “If we go all or nothing on this bill, we’re going to end up with nothing.”

After the vote, state Rep. Beth Bernstein (D) said on the House floor on Wednesday that it was a “sad day” for women.

“Over the last 10 years that I have served in the legislature, we’ve continued to erode women’s rights,” Bernstein said. “Until we can place ourselves in someone else’s situation, we cannot truly make the decisions which we are legislating today.”

Several political officials have also spoken out against the bill’s passage on social media. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) said it is time to pass abortion rights at the federal level.

“Yet another state is on the brink of banning abortion — meaning over 2 million more women are about to lose the ability to make their own health care decisions,” Jayapal tweeted.

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Fifteen states have banned or nearly banned abortions. Six states, including South Carolina, have had their bans blocked in court.