South Carolina governor signs abortion ban; Planned Parenthood sues

COLUMBIA, S.C. —  South Carolina’s governor on Thursday signed a law banning most abortions, one of his priorities since he took office more than four years ago. Planned Parenthood immediately sued, essentially preventing the measure from taking effect.

The South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection From Abortion Act is similar to abortion restriction laws that a dozen states have previously passed. All are tied up in court. Federal law, which takes precedence over state law, upholds the right to abortion.

“There’s a lot of happy hearts beating across South Carolina right now,” Republican Gov. Henry McMaster proclaimed during a ceremony at the statehouse attended by lawmakers who made the bill a reality.

Immediately after he signed the bill, a group of lawmakers and members of the public, standing shoulder to shoulder and wearing masks to protect against the coronavirus, began singing the words “Praise God” to the tune of “Amazing Grace.”

The House passed its bill by a 79-35 vote Wednesday after hours of emotional testimony from supporters and opponents, and gave the measure final approval Thursday.

Moments after the second vote Thursday, Planned Parenthood announced that it was filing a lawsuit. The South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection From Abortion Act, like similar laws currently being challenged, is “blatantly unconstitutional,” said Jenny Black, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic.

Supporters of restrictive abortion laws are trying to get the issue before the U.S. Supreme Court in the hope that — with three justices appointed by Republican former President Trump — the court could overturn Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 decision supporting abortion rights.

The Supreme Court has previously ruled that abortion is legal until a fetus is viable outside the womb — months after a heartbeat can be detected, Black noted.

State bills to restrict or ban abortion “are plainly absurd,” Black said. “There is no other way around it.”

South Carolina Atty. Gen. Alan Wilson issued a statement Thursday saying that his office “will vigorously defend this law in court because there is nothing more important than protecting life.”

Lawmakers who supported the bill celebrated their long-awaited victory Thursday.

“We’re about to do what I’ve been trying to do for 25 years: shut down the abortion industry in South Carolina,” said Republican Sen. Larry Grooms.

Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit argues that South Carolina’s new law “is in flagrant violation of nearly five decades of settled Supreme Court precedent.”

The suit says a high rate of women, especially African Americans, die during or immediately after childbirth in South Carolina. The abortion ban would fall hardest on low-income women, who wouldn’t be able to travel to a nearby state where abortion is still permitted, the suit says.

Black said the focus on abortion wastes taxpayer money and ignores a host of other important issues such as healthcare, unequal treatment of women, and education, Black said.

“If lawmakers are really interested in making lives better, we have a long list of priorities they can focus on,” Black said.

South Carolina’s bill requires doctors to perform ultrasounds to check for a heartbeat in the fetus. If one is detected, the abortion can be performed only if the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest or if the woman’s life is in danger.

The measure would not punish a pregnant woman for getting an illegal abortion, but the person who performed the abortion could be charged with a felony, sentenced up to two years in prison and fined $10,000 if found guilty.