South Carolina passes bill banning abortion after 19 weeks

The South Carolina House approved the compromise 79-29 on Tuesday.

Views from South Carolina's State Capitol Building. (Davis Turner/Getty)

The South Carolina legislature passed a bill on Tuesday banning abortions after 19 weeks of pregnancy.

As it reaches her desk, Republican Governor Nikki Haley is now expected to sign the bill, after previously indicating that she favors the legislation. “I can’t imagine any scenario in which I wouldn’t sign it,” Haley said back in March after the Senate approved it 39-9 in March.

“I believe that life begins at conception and every step we can take to get back to that point is important,” Republican Representative Wendy Nanney told Reuters. “In my view and many others it’s inhumane to subject that baby to pain at 20 weeks.”

The South Carolina House approved the compromise 79-29. The only exceptions made under the ban, would be if the mother’s life is at risk or the doctor says the fetus cannot survive outside the womb. Otherwise, it would be illegal to abort a fetus with a disability if the child is able to survive, according to the Associated Press, such anomalies are detected near the 20 week mark.

Twelve states currently have similar laws in effect. The South Carolina bill makes no exceptions for cases involving rape or incest.

“This is a dangerous bill for South Carolina women,” Alyssa Miller, South Carolina public affairs director for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, told Reuters. “The reality is that abortion later in pregnancy is extremely rare and often takes place in complex and difficult situations where a woman and her doctor need every medical option available.”