South Carolina abortion limits bill with no rape exception nears debate [View all]
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina’s state senators, emboldened by their newly expanded GOP majority, are nearing floor debate on a bill that would ban almost all abortions in the state without exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest.
Bills seeking stricter abortion limits have been debated for years in the General Assembly, regularly failing when Senate Republicans couldn’t get enough votes to clear a procedural hurdle. But abortion foes have expressed confidence this year will be different after Republicans flipped three Senate seats for a 30-16 advantage.
The “South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act” was sent to the full Senate by a key committee on Thursday. It would require doctors to use an ultrasound to search for a fetal heartbeat if a woman appears to be at least eight weeks pregnant. If a heartbeat is detected, which is typically around the sixth week of a pregnancy, an abortion would be illegal unless the life of the mother is at risk.
Doctors could be convicted of a felony if they don’t check for a heartbeat or perform an abortion anyway and face up to two years in prison. The woman having the abortion would not face punishment.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/bills-south-carolina-af77da594477fc1b82431f47c5ba4c5d
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