South Carolina Court Halts Abortion Restrictions

A judge has put a temporary halt on a new law banning most abortions after six weeks in South Carolina, until a Supreme Court review.

Judge Clifton Newman's ruling comes just 24 hours after the state's Governor signed the bill, according to the AP.

“The status quo should be maintained until the Supreme Court reviews its decision,” Newman said. “It’s going to end up there.”

That means South Carolina reverts back to a ban at about 20 weeks after fertilization.

Governor Henry McMaster tweeted his reaction to the news, saying he hopes the state Supreme Court takes up the matter urgently.

"We will continue fighting to protect the lives of the unborn in South Carolina and the constitutional law that protects them," the tweet said.

The law passed Tuesday by the General Assembly is similar to a ban on abortion once cardiac activity can be detected that lawmakers passed in 2021.

The state Supreme Court decided in a 3-2 ruling that the 2021 law violated the state constitution's right to privacy. Legislative leaders said the new law makes technical tweaks that should sway at least one justice to change his mind and the author of the January ruling has since retired.

Planned Parenthood is suing the state over the new law.

“State lawmakers have once again trampled on our right to make private health care decisions, ignoring warnings from health care providers and precedent set by the state’s highest court just a few months ago," Jenny Black, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, said earlier this week.

"The decision of if, when, and how to have a child is deeply personal, and politicians making that decision for anyone else is government overreach of the highest order. We will always fight for our patients’ ability to make their own decisions about their bodies and access the health care they need. We urge the court to take swift action to block this dangerous ban on abortion.”

Story compiled with help from Associated Press.