A state judge in Columbia, South Carolina, has denied a Planned Parenthood motion to weaken the state’s six-week abortion ban. The ruling was welcomed by pro-life officials, who expressed confidence that the Palmetto State will remain a safe haven for the unborn.
The state law defines a “fetal heartbeat” as “cardiac activity or the steady and repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart, within the gestational sac,” according to the Charleston Post & Courier. In his Thursday decision, Judge Daniel Coble wrote that the state legislature clearly intended a six-week time frame in that regard.
Planned Parenthood argued that since the new law was enacted, 75% of women who sought abortions were denied the procedure because of the time constraint. The organization also alleged almost 7/8 of those patients could have undergone an abortion if they were permitted at the nine-week mark.
Planned Parenthood-South Atlantic president and CEO Jenny Black expressed disappointment in Coble’s decision. “Given the impact of this case on thousands of patients across South Carolina who have been unfairly denied abortion care, we will continue to demand that the courts apply the law as written. This fight is not over,” Black said.
The heartbeat law had been subject to previous legal challenges. In 2023, the South Carolina Supreme Court struck down a preceding six-week ban, citing right-to-privacy concerns. However, the court later upheld a second attempt at a six-week prohibition that was drafted a few months after the original denial.
The new law does contain exceptions for the life and health of the mother, as well as in cases of rape or incest, so long as those are reported to law enforcement within 12 weeks. The state only has three listed abortion providers, all located in major cities.
