COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Legislature passed a bill Tuesday prohibiting abortion after 19 weeks, becoming the 17th state to pass the restrictive ban.
The legislation will go to Gov. Nikki Haley’s desk. The Republican said in March she will almost certainly sign it but wants to look at the details.
Similar laws are in effect in 12 states. They’ve been blocked in three others, and the U.S. Supreme Court has yet to rule on the ban’s constitutionality. A South Dakota law signed in March takes effect this summer.
A related Utah law requires doctors to provide anesthesia to a fetus at least 20 weeks in the womb.
The South Carolina bill is among several fronts abortion-rights advocates say make having the procedure tougher. Abortion foes have also passed laws in other states requiring clinics to get admitting privileges for doctors and banning a procedure commonly used in the second trimester.
The sponsor of South Carolina’s bill, Rep. Wendy Nanney, said she hopes the law is a step to “get rid of abortion altogether.”
“I firmly believe life begins at conception, and anything we can do to protect human life, I’m all for,” said Nanney, R-Greenville.
The South Carolina House approved the compromise 79-29. The Senate approved it 36-9 in March.
The ban allows exceptions only if the mother’s life is in jeopardy or a doctor decides the fetus can’t survive outside the womb. The measure’s limited definition of “fetal anomaly” means it would be illegal to abort a fetus with a severe disability if the child could live.
Such anomalies are generally detected around 20 weeks. That “fetal anomaly” exception was crucial for the bill clearing the Senate, where Democrats had blocked the legislation for years.
Leading opponent Sen. Brad Hutto believes it should be the woman’s choice and called the compromise he’s worked on since last year “the best we can get.”
