South Carolina lawmakers concluded their legislative session Friday without passing two bills that would have restricted access to abortion across the state.
A bill criminalizing abortion after 20 weeks and another that required abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a local hospital were both being considered by South Carolina’s legislators until they adjourned for the summer. Some lawmakers were also attempting to define life as beginning at conception. None of the bills moved through the body, which women’s groups locally are hailing as a victory.
“Today is a victory for the men and women across South Carolina who have stood up to say ‘enough is enough,'” said VP of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood Health Systems Melissa Reed in a statement. “And most importantly, it is a victory for the thousands of women who would have been hurt by these cruel and misguided policies.”
The failure to pass the bills comes after a recent poll found that a majority of South Carolina voters in key districts did not think abortion restrictions should be a priority for the state’s lawmakers. In addition, Planned Parenthood reported that over 2,000 residents called and emailed their legislators to urge them not to pass restrictions and over 24 medical professionals, researchers, advocates, and voters testified against the bills.
“The bills had little to do with women’s health,” Jennifer Dalven, Director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, told ThinkProgress. “They were 100 percent about inserting politics where they don’t belong.”
A law implementing admitting privileges requirements in Texas has caused at least 20 clinics in Texas to close. Alabama and Mississippi have also passed similar laws, and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is expected to sign one into law soon as well. A law requiring admitting privileges for abortion providers in Oklahoma may force two of their three remaining clinics to close when the law goes into effect on November 1.
Many state legislatures have also considered 20-week abortion bans, despite concerns that these bans violate Roe v. Wade by unconstitutionally banning abortion before fetal viability, usually around 24 weeks. Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed a 20-week ban into law this April; however, West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin vetoed a 20-week ban this year because of legal and privacy concerns. At the federal level, Senate Republicans have been pushing unsuccessfully for a vote on a 20-week abortion ban. The US House passed a companion 20-week ban last June.
Media Resources: ThinkProgress 6/6/14; Jezebel 6/6/14; Feminist Newswire 5/23/13, 6/19/13, 7/24/13, 8/19/13, 4/24/14, 4/2/14, 5/13/14, 5/22/14, 5/30/14
