The South Carolina Supreme Court rejected an effort from Planned Parenthood to water down the state’s pro-life heartbeat law, ruling on Wednesday that the state could enforce its protections for unborn babies at around six weeks of development.
In its decision, the court ruled against Planned Parenthood’s claim that the law could only protect babies at around nine weeks of development, claiming that was when a baby’s heartbeat can first be detected. The court said that the legislature had intended to protect unborn babies at around six weeks, when heart activity can first be detected, ruling against the abortion giant.
“While we do not frame our holding today in the shorthand terms of a number of weeks, the biologically identifiable moment in time we hold is the ‘fetal heartbeat’ under the 2023 Act occurs in most instances at approximately six weeks of pregnancy,” the majority wrote.
The question the justices were addressing was: “at what point in a woman’s pregnancy does a ‘fetal heartbeat’ occur” as defined by South Carolina’s 2023 Fetal Heartbeat and Protection From Abortion Act. The court defined this as when a “medical professional may objectively determine to have occurred by the existence of the ‘cardiac activity’ of electrical impulses detectable as a ‘sound’ with diagnostic medical technology such as a transvaginal ultrasound device.”
Top South Carolina officials celebrated the decision.
“Time and time again, we have defended the right to life in South Carolina, and time and time again, we have prevailed,” said South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster. “Today’s ruling is another clear and decisive victory that will ensure the lives of countless unborn children remain protected and that South Carolina continues to lead the charge in defending the sanctity of life.”
“This ruling is a resounding win for the rule of law and protecting the unborn in South Carolina,” said Attorney General Alan Wilson. “Today’s decision reaffirms that our elected legislators, not out-of-state interest groups, hold the power to shape South Carolina’s policies in accordance with the values of its people.”
The Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America organization also praised the decision from the court.
“Planned Parenthood has failed in attempting to rewrite the science of human development to further their agenda for more abortions and more profit,” said SBA Pro-Life America Political Director Caitlin Connors. “The level of science denial from this abortion giant that receives $800 million in taxpayer funding annually should astound South Carolinians who overwhelmingly re-elected Gov. Henry McMaster and state Republicans after they enacted the heartbeat law.”
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