Staff reports | Abortion providers filed a new lawsuit Thursday challenging the state’s six-week abortion ban just three weeks after the all-male state Supreme Court upheld the law signed by the governor in May.
They are asking the court to answer an essential question: When, exactly, does South Carolina ban abortion?
Part of the confusion about when the ban starts, the lawsuit says, stems from the definition of fetal heartbeat included in the law, which is described as “cardiac activity, or the steady and repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart, within the gestational sac.” Cardiac activity can occur as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, but is mostly formed around nine weeks, according to Planned Parenthood.
Attorneys for Planned Parenthood added that the ban should be interpreted to take effect after approximately nine weeks under the statute’s language, because that’s when most of the main parts of the eventual heart have developed.
In other recent news:
Trump leads Haley, Scott by big margin in S.C. poll. South Carolina Republican voters favor Donald Trump over his field of rivals — including former Gov. Nikki Haley and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott — for the GOP presidential nomination by more than 2-to-1 margin, according to a Post-Monmouth poll. The numbers: Trump, 46%; Haley, 18%; Scott, 10%.
S.C. tech colleges offer free tuition for high-demand career training. South Carolina technical colleges are offering more free tuition funds for students enrolled in courses that can provide pathways to careers in high-demand industries. Recent high school graduates and adults enrolled in qualified programs at any of the state’s 16 technical colleges are eligible for up to $5,000 from the Workforce Scholarships for the Future program.
President of S.C. school librarian group resigns amid tensions. Tensions between Michelle Spires, president of the S.C. Association of School Librarians, resigned amid tensions with the state superintendent Ellen Weaver.
Surprise Charleston board meeting was illegal, attorney says. A Monday night special meeting of the Charleston County School District’s Board of Trustees, leaving many community members confused and angry. S.C. Press Association attorney Jay Bender said the surprise meeting was illegal, as state law says the purpose of a closed session must be specific and must indicate what it relates to.
Murdaugh back in front of the judge who sentenced him. S.C. Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman set a November state trial date for convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh to face fraud charges of stealing millions from the family of his late housekeeper.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina!