South Carolina governor signs bill banning abortions after 20 weeks in ceremony with kids

On Thursday, South Carolina Republican Governor Nikki Haley held a ceremonial signing event for the state’s recently enacted 20-week abortion ban.

Haley actually signed the bill, which makes exceptions only for threats to a mother’s life or babies who cannot survive outside the womb, into law two weeks ago. But the ceremony, held at Hidden Treasure Christian School for children with disabilities, draws added attention to the issue.

“I’m pro-life because all of us have had experiences of what it means to have one of these special little ones in our life, to lose one, to know what it takes and how hard it is to get one,” Haley said, a reference to her husband having been adopted at birth and going through two pregnancies with complications herself.

Former abortionist Dr. Anthony Levatino describes a prevalent late-term abortion procedure, known as D&E, in the video below.

State Representative Wendy Nanney, the bill’s sponsor, also attended, vowing to pro-lifers, “We are at 20 weeks and we’re going to keep pushing.”

Though intensely denied by abortion advocates, science shows that preborn babies are capable of feeling pain around this point, making 20-week abortion bans a major priority for pro-life efforts. This week, Republican Congresswoman Renee Ellmers lost a primary challenge to Republican Congressman George Holding, after several pro-life groups opposed her for derailing a vote on a national 20-week abortion ban last year.

This law makes South Carolina the 13th state in the country to limit abortions to five months of pregnancy. Globally, the United States is just one of seven countries to allow abortions beyond that point.