Legislature of the State of South Carolina USA spoke yesterday Tuesday in favor of its ban abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy, despite a fierce political struggle against the text by the only five women in the state Senate, among them Republicans.

The US right-wing faction has repeatedly tried to get the controversial bill through the predominantly male and white upper house of this southeastern US state.

But she faced stubborn resistance from five female senators. All three, despite being Republicans, defied the party line without hesitation.

“Slap” for women

During the debate, Republican Sandy Sheen accused her male colleagues of choosing to “symbolically slap women” for their obsession with abortion.

But finally, yesterday, anti-abortion senators managed to win the necessary number of votes to pass the measure.

By definition, this will have a huge impact on the availability of abortion: by the sixth week of pregnancy, many, if not most, women do not yet know they are pregnant.

To become law, the text must be signed by Republican Governor Henry McMaster. However, as for the intentions of the latter, there are not so many mysteries.

“I look forward to signing this text so that it becomes law as soon as possible,” he assured on Twitter, believing that with the help of the controversial law, his state “will protect more innocent lives.”

In June 2022, the Supreme Court overturned constitutional protections for the right to abortion nationwide, leaving states free to make laws on the matter as they see fit. Since then, about fifteen have banned it on their territory.

“Date in Court”

Surrounded by states where abortion was illegal, South Carolina has become a haven for women seeking this kind of surgery. State Republicans have turned this fact into an argument in favor of its ban.

The state has “become the abortion capital of the Southeast,” said Senator Shane Massey, for example.

For the same reasons, this decision was condemned by organizations that defend the right to abortion.

“This is a devastating decision for the people of South Carolina and the entire region, where patient access to abortion continues to decline,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood, an influential family planning organization.

She added that South Carolina politicians “didn’t have the last word,” promising legal action: “I’ll see you in court.”

^{Source: APE, AFP, Reuters.}