“This is a great day. It is a happy day,” said the Republican during a packed event at the State Capitol. “There are many happy hearts beating now.”
The South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Abortion Protection Act states that the doctor must perform an ultrasound on a person who wants to have an abortion to determine if there is a fetal heartbeat. If a heartbeat is found, the doctor cannot perform an abortion unless he believes it is a medical emergency, the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest or there is a fetal abnormality, the bill says. Abortion providers who provide the procedure outside these parameters may face fines and imprisonment.
Defenders of abortion rights have already spoken out against the measure. Before being signed by McMaster, Planned Parenthood and the Center for Reproductive Rights contested the measure on Thursday on behalf of several South Carolina abortion providers, asking a federal judge to block the law.
“South Carolina politicians have just used the abortion ban to target and victimize sexual assault survivors again – as the pandemic intensifies,” said Planned Parenthood President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson in a statement Thursday. market. “This is the worst of politics.”
McMaster, however, praised the ban as a long-awaited priority for the state.
“This step we took today was slow to happen and, as a result, it was monumental,” said McMaster, asking: “If there is no right to life, then what life is there? life?”
After signing the bill, the governor raised it, while the compact crowd applauded. Audience members who attended the signing sang a chorus of “praises to God” when the event came to an end.