On Wednesday, South Carolina’s all-male Supreme Court upheld the state’s six-week abortion ban in a 4-1 decision, with Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald Beatty being the sole dissenter.
Chief Justice Beatty said in his opinion on that case that terminology was “inaccurate” and stated it is an attempt to control women’s health decisions by “distorting reality.” Beatty wrote in his opinion: “The title and content of the legislation are a misnomer if it is viewed as a six-week ban because the terminology is medically and scientifically inaccurate. As such, it is the quintessential example of political gaslighting; attempting to manipulate public opinion and control the reproductive health decisions of women by distorting reality.”
The state’s previous abortion ban was 20 weeks. A state circuit court judge had placed a hold on the abortion ban until it was heard again at the state Supreme Court, who had decided in a 3-2 vote in January that based on the right to privacy the six-week abortion ban violated the state constitution. That decision came when former Justice Kaye Hearn was on the court; she has since left the court after reaching the mandatory retirement age.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster in a statement: “The Supreme Court’s ruling marks a historic moment in our state’s history and is the culmination of years of hard work and determination by so many in our state to ensure that the sanctity of life is protected. With this victory, we protect the lives of countless unborn children and reaffirm South Carolina’s place as one of the most pro-life states in America.”
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/south-carolinas-new-male-highest-court-reverses-abortion-102480719
Editorial credit: Steven Frame / Shutterstock.com