South Carolina became the 12th state to enact a “heartbeat” law when Gov. Henry McMaster signed it into law on February 18.
“If there’s not a right to life, then what right is there?” Gov. McMaster said. “What rights exist, if not the elementary, fundamental, profound right to life?”
Other states that have enacted heartbeat laws include Georgia, Missouri, Louisiana, Tennessee, Ohio, Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi and North Dakota
“We’re elated to see this trend continue,” said Timothy Plan Founder and President Art
Ally. “The nation is increasingly pro-life, thanks in large part to educational efforts and the sheer weight of science, which has revealed in no uncertain terms the uniqueness of every person from the moment of conception.”
Janet Porter, founder of Faith2Action and a longtime pro-life activist who pioneered the concept of heartbeat bills, beginning in Ohio, said she, too, was pleased by the South Carolina law’s enactment.
“When we started the heartbeat bill effort, we were told it was impossible,” she told Ally on Friday. “It is now inevitable. The momentum to keep hearts beating is now unstoppable.”
Planned Parenthood immediately filed a lawsuit against the “SC Fetal Heartbeat Protection from Abortion Act,” as has been the case in other states where similar legislation has been enacted.
“The Attorney General’s office has already been named by plaintiffs in a legal action to block this law from taking effect,” South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said. “My office will vigorously defend this law in court because there is nothing more important than protecting life.”
The state Senate passed the bill 30-13 and the House by 79-35. It took effect immediately after the governor signed it.
Anyone found guilty of performing an abortion that violates the new law could be sentenced to prison for up to two years or be fined $10,000 or both. A mother who had an abortion performed in violation of the new law would be able to sue for $10,000 in damages and court and attorney fees.
One of the findings cited by the state legislature is that “fetal heartbeat is a key medical predictor that an unborn human individual will reach live birth.” Medical evidence indicates that “although up to 30 percent of natural pregnancies end in spontaneous miscarriages, less than five percent of them do after the heartbeat is detectable,” reports LifesiteNews.com.
Idaho Next?
Idaho may soon join the ranks of “heartbeat states.”
The Idaho Senate State Affairs Committee voted to hold a hearing on a heartbeat bill on Feb. 10, in a 7-2 vote with all Republicans in favor and all Democrats opposed.
The proposed law requires doctors to try to detect fetal heartbeats before doing an abortion. Upon detection of a heartbeat, abortions would be outlawed unless the pregnancy puts the mother’s life in danger or if the baby was conceived in rape or incest.
If enacted, the law will not go into effect until a federal appeals court or the U.S. Supreme Court upholds similar laws in other states. That provision was added to protect Idaho taxpayers from defending against lawsuits, said Blaine Conzatti, executive director of the Family Policy Alliance of Idaho, which backed the bill.
A writer for Timothy Partners, Ltd. He is a regular weekly columnist for The Washington Times and Townhall.com and is frequently published by AmericanThinker.com, DailyCaller.com, OneNewsNow.com, and others. He has authored the following books: “A Strong Constitution: What Would America Look Like If We Followed the Law” (D. James Kennedy Ministries, 2018), Invested with Purpose: The Birth of the Biblically-Responsible Investment Movement, and A Nation Worth Fighting For: 10 Steps to Restore Freedom.
