Feb. 18, 2021 Republican Gov. Henry McMaster signed the law banning abortion after cardiac activity is detected. The law had exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest or pregnancies that endangered the patient’s life.
Today, the South Carolina Supreme ruled that the restrictions violate the state constitution’s right to privacy.
South Carolina Supreme Court Abortion Ruling
Planned Parenthood South Atlantic sued under the South Carolina constitution’s right to privacy.
Justice Jaye Hearn in the majority opinion wrote that six weeks is, quite simply, not a reasonable period of time for a woman to realize that she is pregnant and to make arrangement for he to do something about it. The short timeframe violates the state Constitution's prohibition against unreasonable invasions of privacy,