South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster signed a law in force on Thursday banning most abortions in his state. The law requires health professionals to check that the fetus has a heartbeat and only allow the mother to have an abortion if the pregnancy is dangerous or results from rape or incest. Health care workers can be charged with a crime and fined or imprisoned for violating the law, which is similar to legislation that has been passed in other states and has also been challenged. As soon as McMaster signed the charter, Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit to prevent it from taking effect. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic President and CEO Jenny Black called the law “blatantly unconstitutional”. South Carolina’s attorney general promised to “vigorously defend this law in court because there is nothing more important than protecting life.”
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