South Carolina Weighs Nation’s Strictest Abortion Penalties

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00:00South Carolina Weighs Nation's Strictest Abortion Penalties

00:03South Carolina lawmakers are advancing what could become the nation's toughest abortion law,

00:09proposing prison sentences of up to 30 years for women who obtain abortions and for anyone who

00:14helps them. The bill, reported by the Associated Press, would also restrict certain contraceptives,

00:20including IUDs, and impose new limits on in vitro fertilization. The measure faces a second Senate

00:26subcommittee hearing on Tuesday and still has a long legislative path ahead. If enacted,

00:32it would go further than any abortion policy introduced since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned

00:37Roe v. Wade in 2022. The proposed legislation would ban all abortions unless a woman's life

00:43is in danger, eliminating current exceptions for rape and incest up to 12 weeks. It would also

00:49criminalize providing information about abortion, a change that has alarmed doctors who say it would

00:54interfere with basic medical conversations. OB-GYN Natalie Gregory warned that routine

00:59discussions about contraception, pregnancy loss, or IVF could expose physicians to severe legal

01:06consequences, calling the bill an unconstitutional threat to health care. The proposal has fractured

01:12anti-abortion groups. South Carolina Citizens for Life argues that women seeking abortions should not

01:18face punishment, while Equal Protection South Carolina supports the bill, asserting that abortion should

01:23legally be treated as murder. Legal scholars say the debate reflects a broader shift in conservative

01:29states. Mary Ziegler, law professor from the University of California, Davis, noted that groups

01:36pushing for criminal penalties, often referred to as abolitionists, have gained influence and are

01:42reshaping the debate around abortion laws. A similar bill stalled in the state house last year, but the

01:47Senate landscape has shifted, with several new Republican members replacing previous moderates who had blocked

01:53stricter measures. The bill's sponsor, Republican Senator Richard Cash, acknowledges concerns but has not

01:59indicated what changes may be made. Senate GOP leaders say it remains uncertain whether the bill will move

02:06beyond the subcommittee stage.