NEWS

Haley signs 20-week abortion ban

Amanda Coyne
The Greenville News

Gov. Nikki Haley signed a 20-week abortion ban into law Wednesday afternoon.

The legislation bans abortions after 19 weeks of pregnancy and provides no exceptions for cases of rape or incest. Exceptions for the mother's health or a fetal abnormality that would result in death are provided, however.

South Carolina has three outpatient abortion facilities — one each in Greenville, Columbia and Charleston. Those clinics are already banned by state law to perform abortions at or beyond 18 weeks of pregnancy, and do not typically perform abortions past 14 weeks, according to their websites. This new law would then largely apply to abortion procedures in hospitals.

The bill, called the Pain Capable Unborn Child Act, was originally authored by Rep. Wendy Nanney of Greenville and was passed last year in the House by a vote of 80-27. Abortion foes contend that fetuses can feel pain by the age, which is where the bill received its name.

Similar laws are in effect in 12 states and have been blocked by courts in three others, according to the Associated Press.

Doctors face up to $10,000 in fines and 3 years in prison for each violation; prison time is mandatory on a third conviction, according to the Associated Press.

These bans are now in effect in at least 13 states and blocked by court challenges in several others. South Dakota's ban takes effect July 1.

Women nationwide have the right to obtain abortions under the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which said states could restrict abortions after viability — the point when a fetus has a reasonable chance of surviving outside the uterus. "Viability is usually placed at about seven months (28 weeks) but may occur earlier, even at 24 weeks," the ruling said.

The Supreme Court has yet to rule on bans that would limit even earlier abortions.

PAST COVERAGE:House gives final OK to abortion bill, which heads to Haley