South Carolina lawmakers consider near-total ban on abortion

COLUMBIA, SC (AP) — A small group of South Carolina lawmakers has approved a near-total ban on abortion that includes no exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest.

Tuesday’s 3-1 vote, all Republicans in favor and the lone Democrat against, sets up a showdown later in the day over whether to send the restrictive bill to the House floor.

South Carolina currently has a six week ban passed in 2021 that went into effect after the US Supreme Court. overturned Roe v. Wade in June. Republican lawmakers plan special sessions over the next month to consider even more restrictions.

the invoice prohibits all abortions except when the life of the mother is in danger. It lists a number of different medical emergencies that would fall under the exceptions.

The legislation still has a long way to go before it can reach Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, who has said he doesn’t want to see abortions in the state.

Opponents and supporters alike said the proposal could change considerably on its way through the General Assembly.

some republicansespecially in the South Carolina Senate, have said they’re not sure they want to go beyond current law that bans abortions after cardiac activity is detected in the fetus, usually about six weeks after conception. They said a vote in kansas preventing lawmakers from seeking further restrictions and other developments have them reevaluating whether an outright ban is a good idea at this point.

But on Tuesday morning, the House Republicans subcommittee appeared poised to allow that kind of discussion to happen in the full House Judiciary Committee later that day.

Democratic Rep. Spencer Wetmore broke down the bill section by section, noting how doctors and experts she’s spoken with think it puts women’s health endangered.

Passage of this bill will leave “doctors scared to practice; women afraid to start a family because they worry this state will criminalize them if they miscarry or, worse yet, leave them bleeding in an emergency room while the hospital attorney decides if doctors can help,” Wetmore said.

She also said that without exceptions for rape and incest, South Carolina is putting the physical and mental health of disabled women or young girls who are raped at risk.

Republican Rep. John McCravy said the bill was carefully crafted to protect a mother’s life while ensuring that “all unborn lives are protected and all innocent lives are protected no matter the circumstances of conception.” ”.

The Republican-backed bill also does nothing to provide more prenatal care for pregnant women, Wetmore said, noting that South Carolina ranks last in the U.S. in the rate of mothers who die during pregnancy. or childbirth.

“But we’re too busy talking about controlling women’s bodies to do anything that really keeps our women and babies alive,” Wetmore said.

Republican Representative Sylleste Davis said she was pregnant five times and three of them ended in miscarriages. She said she is aware of the issues some women have about the bill, but her own experience has led her to think the state should ban abortion with only the life-threatening exception.

“I believe that every life is important. Every life matters and I believe every life is deliberate,” Davis said.

Outside the Chamber office building on the Statehouse grounds, about a dozen protesters with Planned Parenthood South Atlantic gathered. They were outnumbered by law enforcement, who set up fences and barricades that are expected to remain up for most of the week.

The South Carolina Senate Medical Affairs Committee plans a public hearing on new abortion restrictions on Wednesday.

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Associated Press writer James Pollard contributed to this report.

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Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP.

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