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South Carolina Supreme Court strikes down state's 6-week abortion ban

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Posted at 1:07 PM, Jan 05, 2023
and last updated 2023-01-05 15:07:10-05

The South Carolina Supreme Court struck down the state's six-week abortion ban in a 3-2 decision.

The three justices said that the ban is a violation of the state's "constitutional right to privacy"

They noted that the state has the authority to limit those privacy protections, but noted that those limitations must be reasonable.

"Six weeks is, quite simply, not a reasonable period of time for these two things to occur, and therefore the Act violates our state Constitution's prohibition against unreasonable invasions of privacy," the decision says.

Planned Parenthood, which was one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, applauded the court's decision.

“Today’s ruling is a win for freedom. We are relieved that this dangerous law has been relegated to the history books and can no longer threaten patients and providers in South Carolina," said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

The six-week abortion ban went into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. It was put on hold in August after the South Carolina Supreme Court agreed to hear the case.