The Republican-led South Carolina Senate on Tuesday gave final approval to one of the country’s strictest abortion bans after a fetal heartbeat is detected at six weeks.
The House-amended bill, which reduces the current 22-week abortion ban, is now awaiting the signature of Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican. The House passed the bill last week.
McMaster said on Twitter that he looks forward “to signing this bill into law as soon as possible.”
Critics, including some female Republican South Carolina senators, argued that most women are unaware of their pregnancies at six weeks.
Once McMaster signs the law, it is anticipated that it will be challenged in the state Supreme Court, which previously invalidated a 2021 six-week ban earlier this year on the grounds that it violated the state constitution’s right to privacy.
Nevertheless, Republican lawmakers believe this new version will withstand legal challenges.
The bill passed in the Senate mostly along party lines, with an 82