For Immediate Release: August 23, 2023
Contact: [email protected]
Nationwide Momentum: Half the Country Has Put Pro-Life Protections in the Law
COLUMBIA, S.C. – In a major victory for life, the South Carolina Supreme Court has upheld heartbeat protections signed into law by Governor Henry McMaster. This law can now take effect immediately.
Justice John Kittredge wrote for the majority:
“The legislature has found that the State has a compelling interest in protecting the lives of unborn children. That finding is indisputable and one we must respect. The legislature has further determined, after vigorous debate and compromise, that its interest in protecting the unborn becomes actionable upon the detection of a fetal heartbeat via ultrasound by qualified medical personnel. It would be a rogue imposition of will by the judiciary for us to say that the legislature’s determination is unreasonable as a matter of law.”
In addition to protecting babies in the womb when their hearts are beating, with exceptions for life and health of the mother in a medical emergency, rape and incest up to 12 weeks, and fatal fetal anomaly, South Carolina’s law establishes that the mother of an unborn child may receive child support payments from conception.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America celebrated in a statement:
“Life is winning in the Palmetto State and in hearts and minds nationwide. Today’s decision respects the compassionate will of South Carolinians and their legislators, who have repeatedly expressed their desire to protect babies from brutal abortions and provide true aid to mothers,” said SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “A year after the Dobbs victory freed elected leaders to act, 25 states – half the country – have put pro-life protections into law. The majority of these states protect unborn children at least when their heartbeat can be detected, a point when science shows they have more than a 90% chance of surviving to birth. We are so thankful to Governor McMaster for being a champion of life, Attorney General Wilson and his team for fighting for the people, and all our allies for their persistence. From this moment on, thousands of lives will be saved.”
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America is a network of more than one million pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.
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