South Carolina Bans Abortions After 20 Weeks
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley signed a bill into law Wednesday that outlaws abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The South Carolina law includes exceptions for cases where the mother's life is in danger or if the doctor determines the fetus can't survive outside the womb.
Pro-choice activists say the bill is a violation of women's rights, but pro-life activists say it is about protecting unborn children.
The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act says there is evidence an unborn child can feel pain by 20 weeks.
"After 20 weeks, the unborn child reacts to stimuli that would be recognized as painful if applied to an adult human," the bill says.
The new law makes South Carolina the 13th state that now bans abortion beyond 20 weeks. Other states include Indiana, Kansas, North Dakota, Nebraska, Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Alabama, Louisiana, and Arkansas.
The original 1973 Supreme Court case legalizing abortion left it up to states to restrict abortions based on a range of viability between 24 and 28 weeks.
