Topline
A South Carolina judge on Friday halted the state’s newly-enacted ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, pending a review by the South Carolina Supreme Court, multiple outlets reported, putting the brakes on one of the country’s strictest new abortion bans.
A South Carolina Judge halted the state’s newly-enacted six-week ban on most abortions.
Key Facts
The ruling by South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman comes just one day after Gov. Henry McMaster (R) signed the bill into law after it passed easily through the state’s GOP-led legislature.
The law, which includes exceptions for rape, incest and cases that pose a medical emergency to the mother, penalizes doctors who provide an abortion after six weeks into a pregnancy with up to two years in prison and a fine as high as $10,000.
South Carolina now reverts to its existing 20-week ban on abortion (South Carolina is one of 21 states with either a full ban on abortion or a ban up to 20 weeks into a pregnancy).
Tangent
A separate piece of legislation that would have imposed a near-total abortion ban on abortions failed in South Carolina’s Senate, after a group of five female state senators—including three Republicans—led a successful filibuster. State Sen. Sandy Senn (R) called out the “men in the chamber” for “slapping women by raising abortion again and again.”
This is a developing story.
Further Reading
South Carolina Prepares To Ban Abortions After 6 Weeks—But Court Challenges Could Follow (Forbes)
Abortion Bans Fail To Pass In Nebraska And South Carolina (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/05/26/judge-pauses-south-carolinas-6-week-abortion-ban-for-now/