SW News:

With Governor Henry McMaster inking a pro-life bill on Thursday, South Carolina has become the latest American state to ban most abortions with few exceptions after the sixth week of gestation. The Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act protects life by outlawing the termination of pregnancy when a fetal heartbeat is detected after about six weeks. There are limited exceptions in cases of medical emergencies, fatal fetal anomalies, and in cases of rape or incest within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. 

"With my signature, the Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act is now law and will begin saving the lives of unborn children immediately," McMaster said in a statement. "This is a great day for life in South Carolina, but the fight is not over. The right to life must be preserved, and we will do everything we can to protect it," he added. 

The law will take effect immediately. Doctors who perform abortions that do not comply with its restrictions could face felony charges punishable by two years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The Republican-controlled Senate approved the legislation on Tuesday with a vote of 27-19, a week after the House of Representatives passed the bill. 

The fetal heartbeat law signed by the governor is an altered version of earlier anti-abortion legislation ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of South Carolina earlier this year. It permits the termination of pregnancy up to 12 weeks of gestation in cases of rape and incest, as well as an exception when there is a medical emergency. 

The Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act will now prohibit the flow of pregnant women from nearby states in the southern part of the United States with strict abortion laws seeking the termination of pregnancy. While the pro-lifers hailed the legislation, the abortion providers have filed a lawsuit. 

The South Carolina Catholic Conference released a statement applauding the bill's passage. Thanking the Senate for coming together to pass a life-affirming bill that protects mothers and babies, the conference said, "The Fetal Heartbeat Act is the strongest pro-life bill the state General Assembly has ever passed."