South Carolina abortion ban: Judge grants injunction and allows abortions to resume in South Carolina

A South Carolina judge has granted abortion providers’ request to block a newly enacted six-week abortion ban while a legal challenge continues, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic confirmed to ABC News.

Planned Parenthood, one of the providers involved in the lawsuit, celebrated the decision on Twitter.

NOTE: The video in the media player is from a previous report.

The ban was signed into law by Gov. Henry McMaster on Thursday after it passed the state Senate earlier this week.

The new ban prohibits all abortions after detection of fetal heart activity, which usually occurs at six weeks of pregnancy, with some exceptions. Anyone who violates the ban is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined $10,000, jailed for up to two years, or both.

Doctors or healthcare providers found guilty of performing illegal abortions will also have their licenses revoked.

The lawsuit challenging the ban was filed by Planned Parenthood and Greenville Women’s Clinic. He claims the ban violates constitutional rights to privacy, equal protection and due process.

“Today the court granted our patients a welcome reprieve from this dangerous abortion ban. Our doors remain open and we are here to provide compassionate, non-judgmental health care to all people in Carolina. Although we have a long fight ahead of us, we won’t stop until our patients are once again free to make their own decisions about their bodies and their futures,” Jenny Black said Friday. President and CEO of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic.

McMaster had signed a previous so-called “heartbeat ban” into law in 2021, but it was overturned by the state Supreme Court in January.

Fifteen states have stopped nearly all abortion services since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, ending federal abortion rights protections

The White House criticized the ban in a statement late Thursday. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says South Carolina’s “extreme and dangerous” ban on abortions over the past six weeks will “criminalize health care providers and lead to delays and denials of health and life-saving care”.

“South Carolina’s ban will cut abortion access for women in the state and those across the region for whom South Carolina is the closest care option,” Jean said. -Rock.

This is a developing story. Please check for updates.