May 25, 2023
location_onSouth Carolina
On Wednesday, the South Carolina General Assembly sent a 6-week abortion ban bill to Gov. Henry McMaster‘s desk. After the vote, the Governor tweeted that he looks forward to “signing this bill into law as soon as possible.”
“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,” McMaster added.
Senate Bill 474, known as the “Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act,” was passed by a vote of 27-19 after the House amended the bill. The legislation would ban most abortions after “cardiac activity begins at a biologically identifiable moment in time, normally when the fetal heart is formed in the gestational sac” — most commonly occurring six weeks into pregnancy.
“A heartbeat clearly indicates life. Today, Senate Republicans kept their promises and stood up for life in South Carolina,” stated South Carolina Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey. “All children with a beating heart will soon be protected in this State. South Carolina will not be the abortion capital of the Southeast.”
South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Christale Spain stated, “This cruel ban rips away a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions with her doctor and puts it in the hands of out-of-touch politicians who care nothing about women’s health care and all about their MAGA agenda.”
