South Carolina lawmakers on Tuesday passed a ban on most abortions after fetal cardiac activity begins, around six weeks.
The hotly contested bill, which Republican Governor Henry McMaster is expected to sign, passed mostly along party lines, with the notable exception of the state senate’s five women members — three Republicans, a Democrat and an independent — who all opposed it.
“What we are doing today is not going to do away with illegal abortions – it is going to cause illegal abortions,” said state Senator Sandy Senn, a Republican who was among the five female senators, who successfully blocked an even more stringent ban last month.