House lawmakers in South Carolina passed a bill late Wednesday that would ban most abortions in the state after six weeks of pregnancy, moving it closer to continuing a trend in the South of restricting abortion access.
The bill passed by an 82-33 vote, largely along party lines with two Democrats in the chamber joining Republicans. The bill now heads to the state Senate.
The Legislature was called back into a special session by Gov. Henry McMaster (R) to continue work on the legislation, which would ban most abortions after cardiac activity can be detected in a fetus or embryo, which usually happens as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.
The bill cleared the chamber only after strong opposition by Democrats, who offered more than 1,000 amendments to the measure. Lawmakers debated the bill for several days.
A move earlier this year to pass an abortion ban in the state stumbled when the Senate failed to approve a bill the state House had passed. Three Republican senators voted against the bill in April.
A similar 2021 law in the state that would have banned most abortions at six weeks was struck down in January, with the court ruling in a 3-2 decision it violated the state constitution’s privacy protections.
The move in South Carolina to pass the six-week ban comes after lawmakers in North Carolina voted to override the veto of Gov. Roy Cooper (D), banning most abortions in the state after 12 weeks.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a leading anti-abortion group, applauded the move by South Carolina to advance the bill.
“Enacting a heartbeat law that can withstand legal challenges will be a giant step forward for South Carolina,” said Caitlin Connors, the group’s Southern regional director, in a statement. “We thank Gov. Henry McMaster for calling legislators back and look forward to the Senate swiftly sending the heartbeat bill to his desk.”
Updated at 8:09 a.m.