208 20250521 Ruling

[김순희]

The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled that the state can keep banning abortions around six weeks after conception.
 
The justices unanimously ruled that while the medical language in the 2023 law was vague, supporters and opponents of the law all seem to think it banned abortions after six weeks.

That was until Planned Parenthood lost its challenge to the entire law two years ago.
 
The law says abortions can't be performed after an ultrasound can detect "cardiac activity, or the steady, repetitive, rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart."
 
The state argued that is the moment when an ultrasound detects cardiac activity.
 
Planned Parenthood said the words after the ‘or’ mean the ban should only start after the major parts of the heart come together, which is often around nine weeks.
 
I'm Haya Panjwani.