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South Carolina bans virtually all abortions with new law | NOW

The Governor of the US state of South Carolina, Henry McMaster, signed a law Thursday evening (local time) that bans almost all abortions in the state. The new law only allows abortions under special circumstances, such as rape, incest, or if the pregnant woman’s life is in danger.

The new law does not allow abortion once a heartbeat has been established in the fetus. Anyone who does so risks a prison sentence. A fetus already has a heartbeat after six weeks, but generally in the United States, a fetus is not considered viable until after 24 weeks.

Planned Parenthood, the American women’s health organization, calls the law unconstitutional and has filed a lawsuit against the state. The US Supreme Court ruled in 1973 that the constitution protects women’s abortion rights.

Several states have passed similar abortion laws to South Carolina, with most still being challenged in federal court. A similar abortion law was enacted in 2019 Iowa annulled by state court. “There is no question that such a heartbeat is noticeable long before the fetus is viable,” the Iowa verdict concluded.

Republican Governor McMaster identified a ban on abortion as one of his priorities. “There are a lot of happy hearts beating in South Carolina right now,” he said Thursday while signing the bill.

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