South Carolina has passed a bill on May 17 banning abortion after 19 weeks of pregnancy.
The bill got a 79-29 vote in favor of the final approval of the bill. Following ratification, the bill will be turned over to Gov. Nikki Haley.
What's Next?
As the bill is tasked to be in the hands of Haley, the possibility of it being signed is high. This is because the governor said in March that she would likely give it the green light.
"I can't imagine any scenario in which I wouldn't sign it," she said. However, she said that she would like to see the legislation first before signing.
Following Suit
If given final approval, the said legislation will make South Carolina the 17th state in the United States to have the restriction.
Alyssa Miller from Planned Parenthood South Atlantic says women and their families in those states have been put through highly stressful situations such as having the need to terminate pregnancy due to medical reasons, but were not able to do so.
Exceptions To The Bill
The bill, which was approved by the Senate in March, was first proposed in 2015. This was done after the legislation was freed of exceptions for pregnancies due to rape or incest.
The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Wendy Nanney, R-Greenville, says she believes that life begins when a woman conceives and that every action taken to get back to that point is essential. Ultimately, she thinks that taking away the life of a baby after the 19th week is inhumane, so she hopes that the legislation would lead to abortion getting banned altogether.
Meanwhile, the new legislation does not affect cases wherein the mother's life is at risk - something which Nanney finds OK.
In South Carolina, less than 30 abortions for pregnancies earlier than 20 weeks are performed every year since 1990, according to data from the public health agency records.
The restriction in the new law would only affect hospitals. The state only has three abortion clinics, and none of them perform the procedure for pregnancies beyond 15 weeks.
Doctors who would perform abortions in contrast to what is lawful would face three years' imprisonment and pay a fine amounting to $10,000.
