The South Carolina Supreme Court on Thursday ruled to strike down the Fetal Heartbeat Bill, citing privacy concerns. The 3-2 vote returns the state to the previous 22-week ban.
The their ruling, the supreme court stated that the six-week period was "quite simply, not a reasonable period of time" for women to discover they are pregnant and "take reasonable steps to terminate that pregnancy."
Many pro-life legislators and other elected state officials were quick to criticize the Thursday ruling. Governor Henry McMaster said in a statement that "With this opinion, the Court has clearly exceeded its authority."
Senator Lindsey Graham also responded to the court's decision, voicing his agreement with Governor McMaster on the decision.
Congressman Jeff Duncan also voiced his "disappointment" with the State Supreme Court's decision, urging the South Carolina General Assembly to "use all the power at its disposal to fight for this pro-life legislation to be re-instated."
Attorney General Alan Wilson in a statement said his office would be working with the Governor's office and the legislature to review all available options.
District 11 State Senator Josh Kimbrell, a Spartanburg Republican who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, was on the Charlie James Show yesterday discussing the State Supreme Court's Decision. You can listen to the full interview with Senator Kimbrell below:
