Republicans in the South Carolina state House have passed a near total abortion ban for the second time since the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
The state House of Representatives voted 83-31 to ban all abortion from the moment of conception, with exceptions for rape, incest, fatal fetal anomaly and the patient’s health and life, The Associated Press reported.
The bill’s passage comes one week after Republicans in the Senate passed a bill banning the procedure after fetal cardiac activity is detected, around 6 weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest, fatal fetal anomaly and protecting the health and life of the pregnant person up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.Â
This means both chambers are at odds over when a pregnancy can be terminated, which is not new as they struggled during a special session last year to reach an agreement on this issue.
Last month, the South Carolina Supreme Court struck down a six week abortion ban, ruling that it violates the state’s constitutional right to privacy.
Still, Republicans in the Senate argued that the more restrictive House bill does not have the votes to pass in the upper chamber and House Republicans are saying the six week bill from the Senate does not have the votes to pass in the House.
But, House Republicans are not backing down because they believe their bill is the one that could withstand legal scrutiny. They pointed to Justice John Few— one of the justices in the 3-2 majority that struck down the six-week ban—suggesting that the right to life might outweigh the right to privacy if the General Assembly determined that human life begins at conception, according to AP.
State House Speaker Murrell Smith believes that by passing a bill banning abortion from conception, Justice Few’s vote would flip when the law is challenged in court.
[Image: Sam Wolfe/Reuters]
