South Carolina Governor Signs Bill Protecting Life After Six Weeks

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster signed a bill into law that  protects the lives of children by prohibiting abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. The Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act, passed by the Republican-controlled Senate, includes exceptions for rape, incest, the life of the mother, and fetal abnormalities up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster signed a bill into law that prohibits abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.

Highlights

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
5/25/2023 (1 year ago)

Published in Marriage & Family

Keywords: South Carolina, law, pro-life, abortion, six weeks, heartbeat

Governor McMaster expressed his support for the law, stating, "With my signature, the Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act is now law and will begin saving the lives of unborn children immediately. This is a great day for life in South Carolina, but the fight is not over. We stand ready to defend this legislation against any challenges and are confident we will succeed. The right to life must be preserved, and we will do everything we can to protect it."

South Carolina previously banned abortion after 22 weeks, and this change in the law makes Virginia the only southern state that has not imposed further restrictions on abortion since the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

The South Carolina Catholic Conference applauded the passage of the bill, calling it the strongest pro-life bill the state General Assembly has ever passed. However, abortion providers Planned Parenthood and Greenville Women's Clinic have filed a lawsuit challenging the law, citing violations of constitutional rights to privacy, equal protection, and substantive due process. Planned Parenthood also alleges that the law improperly targets them through an unconstitutional bill of attainder.

It is worth noting that South Carolina's Supreme Court struck down a similar six-week abortion ban earlier in the year. However, since then, Justice Kaye Hearn, who authored the ruling, has retired, and her seat is now held by Justice Gary Hill, who was elected by the majority-Republican Legislature. The outcome of the legal challenge remains to be seen.