South Carolina Supreme Court upheld a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, granting Republicans a long-awaited victory.
This 4-to-1 decision overturned an earlier ruling from this year that declared the “fetal heartbeat bill” was unconstitutional because it violated a state constitutional right to privacy.
South Carolina is now one of few Southern states with limited access to abortion procedures as a result of this verdict.
Justice John Kittredge wrote in the majority opinion that while the six-week ban does infringe on women’s rights, it is ultimately up to the legislature to make policy decisions and determine when a woman’s rights do not outweigh that of an unborn child’s right to life.
He concluded by stating that they “cannot say as a matter of law that the 2023 Act is unreasonable and thus violates the state constitution.”
Republican Governor Henry McMaster referred to this decision as a “historic moment” for his state, noting how long Republicans have been trying for such an outcome since Roe v Wade was overturned in 2022.
The events in South Carolina also demonstrated how important it is for elected officials and judges who share our values to remain in office.
Female Republican lawmakers had attempted to block this legislation from passing into law but were unsuccessful due to their male counterparts having been appointed by the legislature as replacements for Justices who retired earlier this year.
The likelihood of similar rulings taking place across other U.S. states has grown greater following Newsweek’s recent survey results which showed 60% of eligible voters ranking the economy as their top priority issue – far ahead of those such as healthcare (33%), immigration (28%) and policing/crime (24%).
In addition, 48% reported being worse off than three years ago with 44% saying their financial situation had worsened over just one year – all under President Biden’s administration.
As we enter 2024’s campaign cycle, these numbers are particularly concerning news for Democrats and Biden alike if they wish to retain power next election season.
