“Haley: Former S.C. Governor Would Have Signed Six-Week Abortion Ban

On Tuesday, South Carolina governor and Republican candidate for the 2022 gubernatorial election, Haley, said that if she were still the governor of the state she would sign a bill to ban abortions after six weeks, with exceptions for instances of rape, incest, or a mother’s health. The bill, called the South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act, would make abortions illegal after a heartbeat is detected, which can usually occur six weeks into a pregnancy. This legislation has raised many questions among both pro-choice and pro-life communities about its legality and enforceability. Haley’s stance appears to be in line with her earlier comments on abortion; in the one-on-one interview, she said she believes reproductive decisions should be left up to an individual’s conscience, but also said she is firmly pro-life. The current governor of South Carolina, Henry McMaster, has said he supports the bill and would sign it into law if it were passed by the state legislature. South Carolina’s Republicans hold strong majorities in both houses of the state legislature, making it likely that the bill would become law if passed. This is not the first time a ban on abortions after six weeks has been proposed in the state. In 2017, Republican lawmakers proposed a similar bill, called the South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat Bill, but it ultimately was blocked by a federal court. The bill faces a number of potential legal challenges if it were to become law. In particular, courts have recently ruled that bans on abortions after six weeks are unconstitutional. As such, abortion rights advocates have argued that if passing this kind of legislation, South Carolina would be inviting a lawsuit from the pro-choice community. Regardless, Haley’s stance is clear: she would sign the bill into law if she is elected governor. It remains to be seen if the South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act will become law, and whether it will withstand legal scrutiny if it does.