South Carolina and Nebraska fail to pass bills on strict abortion bans
South Carolina and Nebraska each failed to pass an abortion restriction bill by one vote on Thursday.
Following the overturn of Roe v. Wade last summer, Republican-dominated states are proving that the heavily heated debate on abortion is controversial among lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum.
According to The New York Times, the Nebraska bill proposed to ban “most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy — a strict prohibition that would outlaw the procedure before most women know they are pregnant.”
The South Carolina bill that the Senate rejected “would ban most abortions in the state. The bill had already been passed by the House, but the Senate’s five women — three of whom are Republicans — opposed the bill and spoke forcefully against it.”
The bill that didn’t pass in South Carolina is the third time that a near-total abortion law has failed in the state since Roe v. Wade was overturned last June. The state has become a common destination for women from states with stricter abortion laws who want the medical procedure.
There are currently 13 states with abortion bans at all stages of pregnancy: Louisiana, Missouri, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee, West Virginia, Alabama, Idaho, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas.
“In Utah, a judge on Friday will consider a request from Planned Parenthood to delay implementing a statewide ban on abortion clinics, set to take effect next week,” per NPR.
Related
In Nebraska, Republican Gov. Jim Pillen said, “It is unacceptable for senators to be present not voting on such a momentous vote.” He continued, “I call on Sen. Merv Riepe to make a motion to reconsider and stand by the commitments to life he has made in the past,” according to CNN.
Sen. Merv Riepe, who was a co-signer of the bill, abstained from voting after expressing concerns that six weeks might not be enough time for a woman to realize she is pregnant.
According to NPR, “When he received pushback from fellow Republicans, Riepe warned his conservative colleagues they should heed signs that abortion will galvanize women to vote them out of office. ... ‘We must embrace the future of reproductive rights,’ he said.”
With time still left in session, there is still a possibility South Carolina will pass an abortion law.
