A six-week abortion ban is headed to South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) for his signature after passing in the state House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act passed 27-19 in the state Senate last week, despite opposition from Republican women in that chamber.
In impassioned speeches, the three GOP women Senators said the six-week ban did not give women enough time to make a decision. They urged other members of their party to adopt a 12-week abortion ban that Sen. Katrina Shealy called a “real compromise” instead.
Its passage comes a week after North Carolina’s Republican-led General Assembly voted to override a veto from Gov. Roy Cooper (D) of a 12-week abortion ban in that state.
Prior to their new laws, the Carolinas had each been two of the few remaining southern states with somewhat easy access to abortion.
Most abortions are currently either outright banned or banned at six weeks in 17 states, primarily in the south and midwest.
The states’ lawmakers imposed their new restrictions after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade last June.
“Tonight, our state is one step closer to protecting more innocent lives,” McMaster said Tuesday evening on Twitter. “I look forward to signing this bill into law as soon as possible.”
PHOTO: State Senate Chamber, Columbia SC; Source: Billy Hathorn
