S. Carolina House to vote on bill banning abortion

(16 Feb 2021) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4311469 The South Carolina House of Representatives will vote on a proposal Wednesday that could ban almost all abortions in the state. Last week, the House Judiciary Committee voted 15-8 to pass the "South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act." The bill has already passed the Senate and the governor promises he will sign it, although the law is likely to be the subject of lengthy court battles before it could take effect. The proposal would require doctors to use an ultrasound to try to detect a fetal heartbeat if they think pregnant women are at least eight weeks along. If they find a heartbeat, and the pregnancy is not the result of rape or incest, they can't perform the abortion unless the mother's life is in danger. A fetal heartbeat can be detected as soon as six weeks after conception, before many women know they are pregnant. Fort Mill, S.C. resident Nancy Nutter was surprised to hear how far the potential legislation has gotten. "That's horrible news. Women should have their own choice with their, you know, healthcare and what they do with their bodies and that's a horrible right being taken away," she told the AP. But Becky Rivera was pleased to hear abortions could soon be banned in her home state. "I hope so. That would be a miracle if it did. And I hope, I pray it does," she said. About a dozen other states have passed similar bills, although they are tied up in court challenges. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...