South Carolina maintains some restrictions in its abortion laws, similar to neighbors North Carolina and Georgia. Access to public funding for abortion is limited in most cases and women are counseled when considering abortion in all three states.
Women are required to receive state-sponsored counseling and then must wait 24 hours before the abortion is provided in the three states.
Guttmacher Institute, an abortion-rights non-profit organization, claims the counseling discourages abortion, but state officials who require this method say it is to give time to the women for consideration of the procedure.
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South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia only allow public funding for abortion if the mother’s life is in danger or the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest.
Health plans under the Affordable Care Act and insurance policies for public employees in South Carolina only include abortion coverage in cases of life endangerment, rape or incest. North Carolina has similar rules, but Georgia’s regulations for the health plans only include cases of life endangerment, according to Guttmacher.
The three states require parental notification when a minor decides to have an abortion.
South Carolina has a judicial bypass option for minors without
parental involvement, FindLaw noted. Counselors can advise and accompany the person to court. The judge will rule whether the minor is mature enough to make a decision and if an abortion is in the best interests of the minor. The judge can also deny the request.
South Carolina lawmakers are also considering a ban on abortion 20 weeks into the pregnancy or later. The state house and senate passed legislation, but the senate differed in its exceptions for rape, incest and fetal impairment. Rape and incest were dropped from the exception during a legislative committee meeting.
State Rep. Robert L. Ridgeway, a Democrat and
medical doctor, told RH Reality Check that fetal issues remained in the proposal because they are medical issues. Rape and incest are judicial matters, he said.
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