Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC) signed legislation banning abortion after six weeks in South Carolina, solidifying abortion restrictions across the South.
“We stand ready to defend this legislation against any legal challenges because there is no more important right than the right to life,” McMaster tweeted after signing the bill Thursday.
With my signature, the Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act is now law and will begin saving the lives of unborn children immediately. We stand ready to defend this legislation against any challenges because there is no more important right than the right to life.
— Gov. Henry McMaster (@henrymcmaster) May 25, 2023
BIDEN AND REPUBLICANS BLAME EACH OTHER FOR DEFAULT THEY INSIST WON’T HAPPEN
The Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act is the most recent in a string of conservative abortion legislation in red states after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
McMaster called a special session of the legislature on May 12 to continue work on the bill, saying that the House “must pass legislation that stops our state from becoming a destination for abortions.” This legislation makes Virginia the only southeastern state that does not have an abortion ban before 12 weeks.
The bill prohibits abortions after six weeks without fetal anomalies and requires providers to show women the ultrasounds of their unborn children prior to consenting to an abortion within the six-week window. The law provides exceptions for rape and incest cases, allowing abortions to occur up to the twelfth week of pregnancy.
“To hear these men [in the legislature] talk so cavalierly about how women should treat pregnancy sickens me. I won’t quit until they all are defeated and we restore common sense to this state and country,” Vicki Ringer, the director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, tweeted Tuesday night.
The heartbeat legislation in South Carolina is likely to be a topic of continued debate during the presidential election cycle as two high-profile politicians from the state, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and former Gov. Nikki Haley, compete for the Republican nomination.
Scott commented in April that a 20-week abortion ban “is not a question in [his] mind,” noting that “we should certainly always side with a culture that preserves and appreciates and respects life.”
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Haley has said on the campaign trail that although abortion is “a deeply personal topic,” there is a “federal role on abortion.” Last week, Haley also explained that she would sign a federal abortion ban if there were enough votes in both chambers to pass such legislation.
A November 2022 poll from Winthrop University found that 46% of likely South Carolina voters supported access to legal abortions “for any reason whatsoever.” A total of 86% support legal abortion if the pregnancy threatens the life or health of the mother. The poll questions did not specify gestational age limitations.
