No new abortion ban expected in SC after House of Representatives rejects Senate revision
The South Carolina House of Representatives voted 95-11 Tuesday to reject the state Senate's revised version of a statewide abortion ban, likely ending the bill's chances of becoming law.
Senate President Thomas Alexander condemned the House's choice and said it would now be difficult for the bill to move forward.
"Unfortunately, the House’s approach likely forecloses any chance to fix issues in our Fetal Heartbeat law raised by the South Carolina Supreme Court," Alexander, a Republican from Walhalla, said in an emailed statement.
"I support a stronger pro-life bill," Alexander said. "But once we realized it was not possible to pass, our primary concern became to protect the most lives of the unborn possible by strengthening the Fetal Heartbeat law that is in current legal jeopardy. The House’s action today puts these efforts at severe risk."
The Senate's changes to the bill earlier this month essentially amounted to a tougher version of the state's current ban on abortion after six weeks. The amended bill also included language seeking to prevent the six-week ban from being challenged again in court, as the legality of the state's current law is being questioned.
Earlier this summer, the House passed a ban on abortion beginning at conception, with limited exceptions for the life of the mother and survivors of rape or incest. And on Sept. 27, representatives stood by that despite the apparent lack of votes to pass that kind of ban in the Senate, which would be required to make it law.
Rep. John McCravy, a Republican from Greenwood, and House Majority Leader Davey Hiott, a Republican from Pickens, told reporters after the House's vote that they were confident a conference committee would be created. Such a committee of representatives and senators could try to forge compromise that would salvage the bill.
But Alexander's statement doesn't inspire hope.
As the fate of H. 5399 sits in limbo, abortion remains legal in South Carolina for up to 20 weeks of pregnancy, as the state's current abortion ban at about six weeks of pregnancy, or when fetal cardiac activity is detected, is being challenged in the state Supreme Court.
− Tim Carlin covers county government, growth and development for The Greenville News. Follow him on Twitter @timcarlin_, and get in touch with him at TCarlin@gannett.com. You can support his work by subscribing to The Greenville News at greenvillenews.com/subscribe.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: No new abortion ban expected in SC after House rejects Senate revision
