SW News: The South Carolina Supreme Court upheld an abortion ban on Wednesday. The prohibition mostly applies to procedures carried out after the discovery of a fetal heartbeat at about six weeks of pregnancy.

Chief Justice Donald Beatty was the lone dissenter in the court's 4-1 decision. The prohibition is in force right away. A similar prohibition that the Republican-led Legislature approved in 2021 was overturned by the court months earlier.

While acknowledging that the 2023 law also violates a woman's right to privacy and bodily autonomy, Justice John Kittredge wrote for the majority that the state Legislature reasonably decided this time that those interests don't outweigh "the interest of the unborn child to live."

Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and a number of other healthcare organizations filed a lawsuit in state court shortly after Republican governor Henry McMaster signed the Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act in May to try to halt it.

The state submitted an emergency petition requesting that the five-member South Carolina Supreme Court resolve the case as soon as possible.

McMaster said in a statement on Wednesday that "with this victory, we protect the lives of countless unborn children and reaffirm South Carolina's place as one of the most pro-life states in America."

The legislation allows for limited exceptions up to 12 weeks for victims of rape and incest as well as exceptions to preserve the life of the pregnant mother and for fatal fetal anomalies.