(From The Associated Press)- The South Carolina House on Tuesday approved a bill that outlaws abortion except in the cases of pregnancies caused by rape or incest. The chamber initially rejected the bill without the exceptions by eight votes. But once Republicans saw the outcome, they quickly went through a number of complex procedures and votes to bring the bill back from the brink of failure. The bill passed on voice vote of 67-38.
The bill has one more routine vote before it goes to the Senate, where stricter bans on abortions have seen tougher fights. The bill allows abortions up to 12 weeks after conception if a women tells a doctor she was raped. The doctor has to tell the woman he is going to report the rape to the county sheriff and has 24 hours after the procedure to give deputies the woman’s name and contact information. It also allows abortions to save a mother's life.
Some of the House's most conservative lawmakers said Monday they would not support a bill with the rape and incest exceptions, but when it came to a final vote, they changed their minds.
South Carolina currently has a six-week ban but the South Carolina Supreme Court suspended the law earlier this month while the justices decide on a Planned Parenthood lawsuit that says the ban is an unreasonable invasion of privacy under the state constitution. The decision leaves South Carolina's abortion ban at 20 weeks for now.
The bill currently allows abortions if a mother's life is in danger and then lists a number of different medical emergencies that would fit into that exception. Gov. Henry McMaster hasn't given his opinion on this specific bill but has said he would like to see a day where there are no abortions in the state.
