COLUMBIA, SC (AP) – The governor of South Carolina on Thursday signed a bill banning most abortions, which has been one of his top priorities since taking office more than four years ago. Planned Parenthood immediately sued and prevented the new law from coming into force.
The “South Carolina fetal heartbeat and protection against abortion legislation is similar to abortion laws that a dozen states have previously passed. Everyone was tied up in court. Federal legislation, which takes precedence over state law, currently allows for abortions.
“There are a lot of happy hearts beating in South Carolina right now,” Republican Gov. Henry McMaster announced during a ceremony at the State House attended by lawmakers who made the proposal come true.
Immediately after signing the bill, a group of lawmakers and members of the public, who stand shoulder to shoulder and wear masks to protect against the coronavirus, begin singing the words ‘Praise God’ to the tune of ‘Amazing Grace’.
The House passed the bill Wednesday with a vote of 79-35 after hours of emotional speeches from both supporters and opponents, and finally approved the measure Thursday. Moments after Thursday’s vote, Planned Parenthood announced it was filing a lawsuit. The law in South Carolina, like that of other states currently in dispute, is “blatantly unconstitutional,” said Jenny Black, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic.
Supporters of restrictive abortion laws are trying to get the case before the U.S. Supreme Court in the hope that the court – with three judges appointed by former Republican President Donald Trump – Roe v. The Supreme Court had earlier ruled that abortion is legal until a fetus outside the womb is viable – months after a heartbeat can be detected, Black noted.
State bills to restrict or ban abortion are “absurd,” she said. “There is no other way for it.”
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson issued a statement Thursday saying his office “will vigorously defend this law in court because there is nothing more important than protecting life.” He was standing near McMaster when the governor signed the bill.
Opponents of abortions have been pushing for the ban for years, but it has stuck to a Senate procedure. Republicans won three seats in the Senate in the November election and the bill has the tabloid “Senate Bill no. 1 ”. to show that it was the highest priority.
“We are about to do what I have been trying to do for 25 years: shut down the abortion industry in South Carolina,” Republican Senator Larry Grooms said moments before the governor signed the bill.
Democrats say Republicans have wasted taxpayers’ money by passing a bill that everyone knows would be challenged in court. They also argue that there are more important issues that need to be addressed, such as COVID-19, healthcare and education.
“We are tired of hypocrisy,” said Todd Rutherford, leader of the House of Minorities. Rutherford said the Democrats also had enough that lawmakers across the aisle said they did not care about life.
“We care about life to death. We care about birth. “We care about people who eat, people who do not die because they can not get vaccinated,” he said.
The lawsuit by Planned Parenthood and The Center for Reproductive Rights claims that South Carolina’s new law “is a blatant violation of nearly five decades of established Supreme Court precedent.” ‘According to the case, a high percentage of women, especially African Americans, die during or immediately after childbirth in South Carolina. The abortion ban will hit hardest on low-income women, who cannot travel to a nearby state where abortion is still allowed, the lawsuit reads.
A hearing to determine whether the law should be suspended while the case is being heard is scheduled for Friday afternoon.
Like Democratic lawmakers, Black said the focus on abortion not only wastes money by fighting established legislation, but also ignores a number of other important issues.
“If lawmakers are really interested in making lives better, we have a long list of priorities they can focus on,” she said.
South Carolina law requires doctors to perform ultrasounds to examine the heartbeat of the fetus. If one is detected, the abortion can only be performed if the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest or the mother’s life is in danger.
The measure does not punish a pregnant woman for the illegal abortion, but the person who performed the abortion can be charged with a crime, sentenced to two years and fined $ 10,000 if convicted. word.
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