🚫👶🚫 South Carolina Senet Passes Ban on Abortion aftah 6 Weeks, Facing Strong Opposition from “Sister Senators”!
Da South Carolina Senet wen jus’ pass one law banning abortion aftah six weeks of pregnancy, even aftah facing a tough battle led by five women senators. Dis law goin’ make it real hard fo’ women fo’ get an abortion in da state. South Carolina stay become one unexpected destination fo’ women lookin’ fo’ da procedure, as oddah Southern states wen move towahds bans. 🏥🔒
Now, da law goin’ go to Gov. Henry McMaster, one Republican who wen say he goin’ sign it. Supporters of abortion rights wen say dey goin’ challenge da ban in court, where da ruling of da State Supreme Court in January goin’ be tested. Da court wen strike down one previous ban aftah six weeks and wen recognize da right to abortion in da State Constitution. 💔👩⚖️📜
Dis legislation wen expose da divisions among Republicans on how strict da abortion restrictions should be. Dis struggle been happenin’ in oddah legislatures aftah da U.S. Supreme Court wen overturn Roe v. Wade, givin’ da powah to regulate abortion back to da states. Since den, at least 25 states wen move to restrict abortion, wit’ 14 of ’em now bannin’ most abortions. South Carolina stay ready fo’ join Georgia in prohibitin’ da procedure aftah six weeks. ⏰🚫🤰
Da women senators who wen oppose dis ban wen call demselves da “Sister Senators.” Dey wen argue dat dis South Carolina bill wen set up so many obstacles dat hardly anybody goin’ be able to get an abortion in da state. Da ting is, pregnancy stay considered to start on da first day of da woman’s last menstrual period, so aftah six weeks is ’bout two weeks aftah she wen miss her period. Most women no even know dey pregnant yet. 🤷♀️🗓️🤰
Da bill wen say dat any woman who like fo’ get an abortion gotta go through two in-person visits wit’ doctors and two ultrasounds. One of da Republican women senators, Katrina Shealy, wen oppose da six-week ban and say, “We no stay God. We gotta let people make dey own decisions.” Although da bill get exceptions fo’ victims of rape and incest, and cases of fatal fetal abnormalities or when da woman’s life and health stay at risk, dose exceptions only go up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. 🏥💔💪
Da governor wen call fo’ one special session of da legislature fo’ try fo’ pass dis ban and resolve da standoff between da House and da Senet. Both chambers controlled by Republicans, but da House stay more conservative and wen try three times fo’ get da Senet fo’ pass one bill dat ban almost all abortions startin’ from conception. Three times, da women in da Senet and three male Republican colleagues wen do filibustah. Da Republican women wen suggest a 12-week ban as one compromise, o’ let da voters decide in one ballot measure. But da Republican colleagues in da Senet wen reject da 12-week proposal, sayin’ it would lead to “abortion on demand” in South Carolina. 💪🗣️🚫
Two of da Republican women wen agree to one six-week ban wit’ exceptions fo’ medical emergencies, fatal fetal diagnoses, and cases of rape and incest. Da Senet wen pass dat bill, but da House wen add amendments, so dey had to vote again. Da women wen warn da House not fo’ make changes to da bill, sayin’, “No move a semicolon.” But da House wen add amendments dat effectively ban all abortions. Dem amendments include da requirements fo’ doctors’ visits and ultrasounds, and dey cut out one provision dat would let minors get an abortion until 12 weeks o’ get a waiver from a judge if dey couldn’t get parental consent. Opponents of da bill wen point out dat da state’s three abortion clinics already stay havin’ a wait time of two o’ three weeks fo’ an appointment, so addin’ requirements fo’ mo’ visits mean nobody goin’ be able to get a legal abortion. 💔⌛💉
Da House version wen also add declarations dat da State Supreme Court wen criticize wen dey strike down da previous six-week ban. One declaration say dat da presence of cardiac activity, which can be noticed around six weeks, is one “key indicator” dat da fetus goin’ result in one live birth. Anoddah declaration say dat da state got one “compelling interest from da beginnin’ of a woman’s pregnancy to protect da health of da woman and da life of da unborn child.” Da legislators who filibustah say dat dis could be seen as one declaration dat a fetus stay one person, which could open da door to a ban at conception. Da bill also make fathers pay child support startin’ at conception. 👶❤️👨⚖️
Dis bill even let da state board of medical examiners take away da medical license of any doctor dat break da law, and anybody can file one complaint. Parents of a minor can even file one civil suit against one doctor who do an abortion. Da Republican leadership in da legislature really like fo’ pass one ban dat challenge da State Supreme Court decision from January. Da justice who write dat decision was da only woman on da bench, and she wen talk ’bout how women’s rights done expand since Roe wen decide in 1973. But she wen retire right aftah, and da new justice stay one man, so now South Carolina da only state wit’ one all-male high court. 🏛️🙅♀️👨⚖️
One group called Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, who stay against abortion, wen celebrate wen dis bill pass. Dey wen thank da South Carolina Republicans fo’ dey “persistence.” Da group’s Southern regional director, Caitlin Connors, wen say, “Dis measure goin’ save thousands of individuals each year who goin’ enrich da lives of oddahs and da state of South Carolina.” On da oddah hand, Republicans, even da women senators who wen filibustah da bill, stay worried ’bout da number of abortions goin’ up in da state since oddah Southern states wen ban it. According to da health officials, ’bout half of all abortions recently done in da state involve people from oddah states. In da days befo’ da debate, Shane Massey, da Republican majority leader in da Senet, wen say South Carolina done become “da abortion capital of da Southeast.” He say, “Da pro-life members of da Senet believe dis unacceptable.” 🚫👶💪
Befo’ da final vote on Tuesday evenin’, da six-week ban wen face fierce criticism from da Republican women senators and da Democratic colleagues. Brad Hutto, da Democratic minority leader in da Senet, wen say, “When you wake up, when your sisters wake up, when your daughters wake up, and you want to know who took away your rights, it was da Republicans.” Da debate ova dis ban stay showin’ how deeply divided da state stay ova abortion rights. 🗣️🤔🚫
Now, da future of abortion access in South Carolina goin’ depend on what happen next. Abortion-rights advocates goin’ take dis ban to court, while da governor get ready fo’ sign it into law. Dis battle ain’t ova, but fo’ now, dis new ban goin’ make it much harder fo’ women in South Carolina fo’ exercise dey right to choose. 👩⚖️⚖️🤰
NOW IN ENGLISH
🚫👶🚫 South Carolina Senate Passes Ban on Abortion after 6 Weeks, Facing Strong Opposition from “Sister Senators”!
The South Carolina Senate has just passed a law that bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, despite facing a tough battle led by five women senators. This law will make it extremely difficult for women to get an abortion in the state. South Carolina has become an unexpected destination for women seeking the procedure, as other Southern states have been moving towards implementing bans. 🏥🔒
Now, the law will go to Governor Henry McMaster, a Republican who has stated that he will sign it. Supporters of abortion rights have announced that they will challenge the ban in court, where it will be tested against the State Supreme Court ruling in January. The court had struck down a previous six-week ban and recognized the right to abortion in the State Constitution. 💔👩⚖️📜
This legislation has exposed divisions among Republicans regarding how strict abortion restrictions should be. This struggle has been unfolding in other legislatures ever since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, returning the power to regulate abortion to the states. Since then, at least 25 states have moved to restrict abortion, with 14 of them now banning most abortions. South Carolina is now poised to join Georgia in prohibiting the procedure after six weeks. ⏰🚫🤰
The women senators who opposed this ban have named themselves the “Sister Senators.” They argued that this South Carolina bill sets up so many obstacles that hardly anyone will be able to get an abortion in the state. The thing is, pregnancy is considered to start on the first day of a woman’s last menstrual period, so after six weeks is approximately two weeks after she has missed her period. Most women don’t even know they are pregnant yet. 🤷♀️🗓️🤰
The bill states that any woman seeking an abortion must go through two in-person visits with doctors and two ultrasounds. One of the Republican women senators, Katrina Shealy, opposed the six-week ban and said, “We are not God. We need to let people make their own decisions.” Although the bill includes exceptions for victims of rape and incest, and cases of fatal fetal abnormalities or when the woman’s life and health are at risk, those exceptions are only available up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. 🏥💔💪
The governor called for a special session of the legislature to try to pass this ban and resolve the standoff between the House and the Senate. While both chambers are controlled by Republicans, the House is more conservative and has tried three times to get the Senate to pass a bill that would ban almost all abortions starting from conception. Three times, the women in the Senate and three male Republican colleagues successfully filibustered. The Republican women suggested a 12-week ban as a compromise or letting the voters decide through a ballot measure. However, the Republican colleagues in the Senate rejected the 12-week proposal, stating that it would lead to “abortion on demand” in South Carolina. 💪🗣️🚫
Two of the Republican women agreed, as a compromise, to a six-week ban with exceptions for medical emergencies, fatal fetal diagnoses, and cases of rape and incest. The Senate passed that bill, but when the House added amendments, they had to vote again. The women had warned the House not to make changes to the bill, stating, “Don’t move a semicolon.” However, the House added amendments that effectively ban all abortions. These amendments include the requirements for doctors’ visits and ultrasounds, and they cut out a provision that would have allowed minors to get an abortion until 12 weeks or seek a waiver from a judge if they couldn’t get parental consent. Opponents of the bill have pointed out that the state’s three abortion clinics already have a wait time of two to three weeks for an appointment, so adding requirements for more visits would mean nobody will be able to get a legal abortion. 💔⌛💉
The House version also added declarations that the State Supreme Court had criticized when they struck down the previous six-week ban. One declaration states that the presence of cardiac activity, which can be noticed around six weeks, is a “key indicator” that the fetus will result in a live birth. Another declaration states that the state has a “compelling interest from the beginning of a woman’s pregnancy to protect the health of the woman and the life of the unborn child.” The legislators who filibustered argue that this could be seen as a declaration that a fetus is a person, which could open the door to a ban at conception. The bill also requires fathers to pay child support starting at conception. 👶❤️👨⚖️
Furthermore, the bill allows the state board of medical examiners to revoke the medical license of any doctor who violates the law, and anyone can file a complaint. Parents of a minor can even file a civil suit against a doctor who performs an abortion. The Republican leadership in the legislature has been eager to pass a ban that could challenge the State Supreme Court decision from January. The justice who wrote that decision was the only woman on the bench, and she emphasized the expansion of rights for women since Roe was decided in 1973. However, she retired shortly after, and the new justice is a man, making South Carolina the only state with an all-male high court. 🏛️🙅♀️👨⚖️
An anti-abortion group called Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America has celebrated the passage of this bill and thanked the South Carolina Republicans for their “persistence.” Caitlin Connors, the group’s Southern regional director, said, “This measure will save thousands of individuals each year who will enrich the lives of others and the state of South Carolina.” On the other hand, Republicans, including the women senators who filibustered the bill, have been concerned about the rising number of abortions in the state since other Southern states enacted bans. According to health officials, about half of all recent abortions in the state involve residents of other states. In the days leading up to the debate, Shane Massey, the Republican Senate majority leader, declared that South Carolina had become “the abortion capital of the Southeast.” He said, “The pro-life members of the Senate believe this is unacceptable.” 🚫👶💪
Before the final vote on Tuesday evening, the six-week ban was fiercely condemned by the Republican women senators and their Democratic colleagues. Brad Hutto, the Democratic Senate minority leader, said, “When you wake up, when your sisters wake up, when your daughters wake up, and you want to know who took away your rights, it was the Republicans.” The debate over this ban has highlighted how deeply divided the state is over abortion rights. 🗣️🤔🚫
Now, the future of abortion access in South Carolina will depend on what happens next. Abortion-rights advocates will take this ban to court, while the governor gets ready to sign it into law. This battle is far from over, but for now, this new ban will make it much harder for women in South Carolina to exercise their right to choose. 👩⚖️⚖️🤰”
