South Carolina Supreme Court Reconsiders Abortion Ban, Prompted by Retiring Female Justice

South Carolina's highest court appears open to upholding a new state law banning abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy, months after it blocked a similar ban. The court had previously ruled that an earlier abortion law violated the right to privacy, but the author of that ruling has since retired. The new law seeks to ban abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually around six weeks. Arguments were made regarding the legislature's consideration of women's choices and the ability to choose birth control or test for early pregnancy. Abortion is currently allowed in South Carolina through the first 22 weeks of pregnancy.