Time to add South Carolina to the list of states who are fighting for life.
On Wednesday, South Carolina’s Supreme Court upheld the state’s heartbeat protection, overturning a ruling from January where a similar ban was struck down. While pro-lifers rejoiced over the news, the pro-aborts squirmed.
The South Carolina Supreme Court — the only state Supreme Court that is all-male — has upheld the state’s 6-week abortion ban.
— The Recount (@therecount) August 23, 2023
The 4-1 ruling is a reversal of the court’s own holding in January of this year, when it struck down a near-identical law. pic.twitter.com/xZRoUAovPs
The all-male S.C. Supreme Court decided in a 4-1 ruling that after a baby in utero has a detectable heartbeat, typically at six-weeks, the child may not be aborted. Justice John Kittredge noted that while the state’s new ban infringes on “a woman’s right of privacy and bodily autonomy,” that those interests don’t outweigh “the interest of the unborn child to live,” The Recount tweeted.
The law is not fool-proof however. It does include exceptions for cases where a mother’s life is in an emergency state, such as fetal anomalies and for rape or incest.
Immediately after the ban became law in S.C., Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, a S.C. clinic and two physicians filed a lawsuit claiming that the ban was too similar to what the court ruled against in January. However, The Hill noted the following about the changes:
The new law removed a legislative finding that the bill gave women an “informed choice” about having an abortion; it changed the definition of a clinical diagnosable pregnancy; and it changed the definition of contraceptives to clarify that contraceptives are allowed under the new law, including emergency contraception.
Therefore, it’s not the same.
On Twitter, pro-lifers celebrated the win.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America called it a “major victory for life.” Students for Life Action explained this was a “pivotal precedent” and also called it a “victory.” An avid life supporter wrote, “According to @scdhec, over 2,500 abortions take place annually in South Carolina after 6 weeks gestation. This decision could save thousands of lives!”
On the other hand, pro-aborts whined that babies couldn’t die as easily.
One woman wrote, “This is sad news! It means that women were just stripped of their own rights to bodily autonomy! This is not something to be celebrated!” Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Cal.) said, “The @GOP’s forced birth crusade continues. Appalling” and Planned Parenthood, the one who sent in the lawsuit, tweeted, “South Carolinians will now be forced to travel out of state, seek abortion outside the health care system, or remain pregnant against their will.”
For now, though, the law isn't entirely pro-life. It's a step in the right direction in ending the abortion regime.
