South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster (R) on Thursday signed a bill that would ban most abortions in the state, the most recent to enact strict abortion restrictions.
The new law, dubbed the “South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Abortion Protection Act,” prohibits abortion if a fetal heartbeat can be detected and requires doctors to perform an ultrasound before performing an abortion to see if a heartbeat can be detected. The law contains exceptions for a fetus conceived by rape or incest, or if the mother’s life is at risk.
Fetal heartbeats can be detected six to eight weeks into pregnancy, sometimes before a woman realizes she is pregnant.
Doctors who perform abortions in violation of the law may face criminal charges or have their medical licenses revoked.
McMaster signed the bill at a commemorative ceremony, saying the signature “took too long to arrive”.
“If there is no right to life,” he said, “then what rights are there but the elementary, fundamental and profound right to life? So, we’re here to protect that. “
Democrats and abortion advocates have criticized the legislation. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and Greenville Women’s Clinic have said on Thursday that they will file a lawsuit to try to prevent the law from taking effect.
“Important health care decisions must be made by individuals in consultation with their trusted medical providers and their families, not with politicians. Abortion is a critical component of comprehensive reproductive health care, and everyone deserves access to the health care they need, without politicians controlling when, how or why, ”said Katherine Farris, medical director at Planned Parenthood South Atlantic .
“If this law comes into force, it will pose a serious threat to the health and bodily autonomy of the South Carolinians,” he added.
The legislation is one of several passed across the country that seeks to ban abortion at a time when the fetal heartbeat can be heard. Similar laws have already been struck down in Mississippi, Ohio and other states.
Opponents of abortion have advanced comparable laws, in part to trigger a legal battle that they hope will end in the Supreme Court, which they are pressing to overthrow Roe v. Wade, the decision that legalized abortion in the USA