COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina lawmaker is pushing for new changes to the state’s current abortion law.
Senate bill S.27 would allow patients to get an abortion prior to the viability of a fetus. State Senate Democratic minority leader, Sen. Brad Hutto, filed the bill in Dec. 2024, ahead of the ongoing legislative session.
Other key motions of the bill include:
- Establishes the procedure as a “decision” made solely between an adult and their physician
- Provides exceptions for rape and incest
- Forbids keeping any woman alive by artificial means without her consent in order to carry a pregnancy to term
- Grants minors the right to petition the court for an abortion without adult consent
- Promotes access to contraceptives and age-appropriate medically accurate education
- Sets rules for performing abortions on minors with the consent of a parent or guardian
The bill was read in the Senate for the first time on Jan. 14. It has since been referred to the Senate’s Medical Affairs committee.
It is unclear if the legislation will make it out of committee before the end of the session, as more than hundreds of bills are pre-filed in both the House and the Senate each year.
In 2023, Gov. Henry McMaster signed Senate Bill 474 into law, prohibiting abortions once “cardiac activity, or the steady and repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart, within the gestational sac” is detected. This detection typically occurs around six weeks after conception.
Currently, 12 states are enforcing bans on abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with limited exceptions.
