S.C. House committee votes in favor of near-total abortion ban without exception for rape, incest

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WMBF/AP) - A small group of South Carolina lawmakers have given their approval to a near-total abortion ban that does not include exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest.

The House Judiciary Special Laws Subcommittee met on Tuesday morning where they debated abortion legislation and considered a special subcommittee’s recommendations.

The recommendations under consideration included a near-total ban on abortion that does not have rape or incest exceptions.

The subcommittee voted 3-1 Tuesday morning to adopt earlier recommendations and moved them to the full House Judiciary Committee.

The House Judiciary Committee then met later in the afternoon, and with every Democrat present and speaking against the bill, the full Judiciary Committee voted 13-7 to advance the legislation to the House floor for debate.

After meeting for a little under two hours, with every Democrat on the committee present speaking against the bill, full Judiciary Committee votes 13-7 to advance it, unamended, to the House floor for debate. Five members didn’t vote, some of whom were present in the meeting. pic.twitter.com/2CBeMCPOwE
— Mary Green (@MaryGreenNews) August 16, 2022

Tuesday’s debate was the latest stage in the battle over abortion rights after the SCOTUS overruled Roe v. Wade earlier this year.

Lawmakers created a South Carolina House Ad Hoc Committee on Abortion, which provided draft proposals and recommendations on abortion in the state.

The legislation still has a long way to go before it could reach Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, who said he wants to see no abortions in the state.

This is a developing story. Stay with WMBF News for updates.

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