South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed a law into effect on Thursday banning most abortions in his state. The law would require healthcare providers to check if the fetus has a heartbeat and only allow the mother to receive an abortion if the pregnancy is dangerous or the result of rape or incest. Healthcare professionals could be charged with a felony and fined or jailed for violating the law, which is similar to legislation that has been passed in other states and also been challenged. As soon as McMaster signed the statute, Planned Parenthood sued to block it from taking effect. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic president and CEO Jenny Black called the law “blatantly unconstitutional.” The South Carolina attorney general promised to “vigorously defend this law in court because there is nothing more important than protecting life.”
