The South Carolina Senate failed this week to pass a general abortion ban following disputes over whether to exempt babies conceived in rape and incest, opting instead to pass a revision of the state’s existing heartbeat law.
Late last month, the South Carolina House voted 67-38 to pass H. 5399, the Human Life Protection Act. As originally drafted, the bill would have prohibited abortions except to prevent “the death of the pregnant woman,” a “substantial risk of death for the pregnant woman because of a physical condition,” or “the substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman, not including psychological or emotional conditions.”
But after the initial version fell short by eight votes, it was amended to allow abortions up to 12 weeks if a woman tells a doctor she was raped, after which the doctor has 24 hours to report her claim to law enforcement. The change sat poorly with several pro-life lawmakers, but secured enough additional votes to pass the chamber.
The Epoch Times reports that the dispute renewed once the bill moved to the Senate, where on Tuesday the Medical Affairs Committee voted 9–8 to remove the rape and incest exceptions. Five Republicans – state Sens. Tom Davis, Penry Gustafson, Greg Hembree, Sandy Senn, and Katrina Shealy – joined every Democrat in voting against it. Read more…
