South Carolina unborn protection challenged in court

A South Carolina judge on Friday put on hold a freshly signed state law to protect unborn babies after six weeks of pregnancy. The state’s previous law, which protects unborn babies after 22 weeks of pregnancy, will remain in place until the state’s supreme court decides on the new law. Gov. Henry McMaster signed the new law Thursday, and Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit almost immediately afterward.

Will this new law withstand the legal challenges? The South Carolina Supreme Court in January voted 3-2 to overturn a 2021 state law to protect unborn babies after six weeks, on grounds it violated the state constitution’s right to privacy. Lawmakers supporting the recently passed law say it fixed the issues that caused the court to overturn the original six-week protection. A new justice has been appointed to the court, which could also influence the court’s decision.

Dig deeper: Read Dean Nelson’s column in WORLD Opinions about how most Americans support at least some protections for the unborn.