The Republican-dominated South Carolina legislature has voted to pass a ban on most abortions after six weeks, and the bill will now head to Republican Gov. Henry McMaster’s desk, where he is expected to sign it into law.
The state Senate approved a House-amended version of the bill on Tuesday by a vote of 27-19 after the state House passed it last week. The bill mostly passed along party lines. However, the state Senate’s five women members — three Republicans, a Democrat, and an independent — all opposed it.
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After the bill cleared the state Senate, McMaster took to Twitter to celebrate.
“The General Assembly has handled this issue in a thoughtful, transparent and collaborative manner. Tonight, our state is one step closer to protecting more innocent lives. I look forward to signing this bill into law as soon as possible,” the Republican governor wrote.
Senate Bill 474, known as the “Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act,” would ban most abortions after early cardiac activity can be detected in a fetus or embryo, usually as early as six weeks into pregnancy. This time frame can often come before many women know they are pregnant.
Any physician who knowingly violates the law would have their license to practice in the state revoked by the State Board of Medical Examiners and could face felony charges, fines, and jail time.
Abortions are currently allowed in South Carolina through the first 22 weeks of pregnancy.
People protesting the stricter ban on abortions in the Palmetto State stood in the Statehouse lobby on Tuesday in the capital of Columbia. Abortion rights advocates have said they would sue to block the legislation.
BREAKING: The S.C. legislature just passed a ban on abortion after 6 weeks of pregnancy. The bill now heads to the governor, who is expected to sign the bill into law.
We have just one thing to say to the state of South Carolina: We’ll see you in court. pic.twitter.com/Bj4jFIFeUM
— PP South Atlantic SC (@PPSATSC) May 23, 2023
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McMaster’s signature will have South Carolina join other Republican-led states in the South which have pushed for stricter abortion bans in the wake of the reversal of Roe v. Wade last year.
