Add South Carolina to the list of states now protecting babies from abortions. Today, a federal judge allowed the state’s heartbeat law protecting babies from abortions when their heartbeat can be detected at 6 weeks to take effect following the Supreme Court’s monumental decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
As LifeNews reported, Attorney General Alan Wilson announced moments after the Dobbs decision that he has filed a motion with the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals to lift its injunction against the Fetal Heartbeat and Protection Against Abortion that was signed into law last year by pro-life Governor Henry McMaster.
Today, Judge Mary Geiger Lewis stayed an injunction that was blocking the state law and allowed the pro-life law to begin saving babies from abortions.
“The Heartbeat Law is now in effect. Once Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court, the decision on legally protecting the lives of unborn babies was returned to the states, so there was no longer any basis for blocking South Carolina’s Heartbeat Law,” Wilson said in a statement. “Our state is now carrying out a government’s most sacred and fundamental duty, protecting life.”
On Twitter, Governor Henry McMaster applauded the decision.
“We’ve spent nearly a year and a half defending the Fetal Heartbeat Act in court. Finally, it has gone into effect in South Carolina. This is why Friday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision is so important – countless unborn children will be saved because of this law,” he said.
Jenny Black, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, said that the “fight is far from over” and appeared to hint at a possible state lawsuit to try to overturn the pro-life law.
“Planned Parenthood South Atlantic’s doors are open in Charleston and Columbia. We are providing abortion care in full compliance with Senate Bill 1, and we encourage anyone seeking an abortion to contact our office,” Black said. “After last week’s harmful Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, it’s clear that the best path to protect abortion access in South Carolina after around six weeks of pregnancy does not run through our existing federal court case.”
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As LifeNews reported, the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, with a 6-3 majority ruling in the Dobbs case that “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion” — allowing states to ban abortions and protect unborn babies. The high court also ruled 6-3 uphold the Mississippi 15-week abortion ban so states can further limit abortions and to get rid of the false viability standard.
Chief Justice John Roberts technically voted for the judgment but, in his concurring opinion, disagreed with the reasoning and said he wanted to keep abortions legal but with a new standard.
Texas and Oklahoma had banned abortions before Roe was overturned and Missouri became the first state after Roe to protect babies from abortions and South Dakota became the 2nd. Then Arkansas became the third state protecting babies from abortions and Kentucky became the 4th and Louisiana became the 5th and Ohio became the 6th and Utah became the 7th and Oklahoma became the 8th and Alabama became the 9th. Today, Mississippi became the 10th.
Ultimately, as many as 26 states could immediately or quickly ban abortions and protect babies from certain death for the first time in nearly 50 years.
The 13 total states with trigger laws that would effectively ban all or most abortions are: Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
“Abortion presents a profound moral question. The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. We now overrule those decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives,” Alito wrote.
“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences,” Alito wrote. “And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.”
This is a landmark day for the Pro-Life movement and our entire nation. After staining the moral fabric of our country for nearly 50 years, Roe v. Wade is no more.
Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer authored a joint dissent condemning the decision as enabling states to enact “draconian” restrictions on women.
Polls show Americans are pro-life on abortion.
