South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed the Fetal Heartbeat Bill into law Thursday afternoon, banning the abortion of a fetus with a detectable and audible heartbeat.
“If there’s not a right to life, then what rights is there,” McMaster said before signing the bill. “What rights exists, if not the elementary, fundamental, profound right to life.”
The bill passed with 30 votes in the state Senate and 79 votes in the House.
McMaster called the bill “one of the most pro-life in the country. ”
Just one day after the bill was signed, a federal court placed a temporary restraining order on the bill, after a legal challenge by abortion proponents.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said in an emailed statement. “My office will vigorously defend this law in court because there is nothing more important than protecting life.”
The restraining order granted by U.S. District Court Judge Mary Geiger Lewis lasts 14 days and will likely be renewed before the March 9 hearing on a preliminary injunction.
State Attorney General Alan Wilson said, “We believe the Heartbeat Law is constitutional and deserves a vigorous defense to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.”
The lawsuit includes Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and the Greenville Women’s Clinic.