Screen grab (Source:X/@ABC)
A controversial South Carolina proposal seeking to impose severe criminal penalties on women who undergo abortions and potentially curtail the use of IUDs and in vitro fertilisation has stalled after failing to clear a key legislative subcommittee on Tuesday.Four of the six Republican members on the panel declined to vote, allowing the three Democrats to block the bill from advancing. The measure, which would prohibit all abortions except when a woman’s life is at risk, also carried some of the toughest punitive provisions seen in the US since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in 2022, reported news agency AP.Republican Senator Jeff Zell, explaining why he refused to vote, said he aimed to curb abortions but believed the bill went far beyond what most residents supported. “Say what you want. Play your politics. I’m not interested in that. What I’m interested in is speaking on behalf of South Carolinians and they’re not interested in this bill right now,” he said.Lawmakers had earlier rejected attempts to soften or remove provisions that would impose up to 30 years in prison on women seeking abortions and anyone assisting them. Efforts to strike language criminalising guidance on where an abortion could be legally obtained also failed. The bill’s wording suggested a ban on contraceptives that prevent implantation of a fertilised egg, raising concerns over IUDs and possibly constraining IVF procedures. Doctors warned that even offering information about out-of-state abortion services could be deemed illegal.Senator Richard Cash, the bill’s sponsor and a vocal anti-abortion figure, insisted the criminal penalties remained necessary. He argued that overturning Roe v. Wade had forced lawmakers to confront issues long overlooked. “We never even thought about it. And now we do,” he said.Anti-abortion groups themselves remain split. South Carolina Citizens for Life said it could not back the bill, arguing women are “victims too”. Equal Protection South Carolina took the opposite stance, with founder Mark Corral declaring, “Abortion is murder and should be treated as such.”Democratic Senator Brad Hutto welcomed the bill’s stalled progress but predicted the fight would resurface. “I say, if it’s January, there’s an abortion bill,” he remarked, signalling more legislative battles when the Assembly reconvenes in 2026.Advocacy groups such as WREN said the measure is “quite literally, the most extreme piece of legislation… ever in this country,” with CEO Amalia Luxardo warning it contains no exceptions of any kind and could have sweeping consequences for reproductive care.ABC news quoted Nimra Chowdhry of the Center for Reproductive Rights who cautioned that the bill could set a template for similar legislation in other conservative states, saying restrictive proposals often “gain momentum” once they advance.South Carolina currently enforces a six-week abortion ban, enacted in May 2023, with narrow exceptions for rape and incest up to 12 weeks, certain fatal fetal anomalies and when the pregnant person’s life is at risk.
