Abhortion · State legal snapshot
Six-week 'heartbeat' ban in effect. Abortion is legal until cardiac activity is detected—generally at about six weeks of pregnancy—and is prohibited thereafter with limited exceptions.
§ I · Gestational limit
│ Six-week ban in effect since August 2023 · measured from LMP · S.C. Code Ann. § 44-41-630(B)
§ II · Restriction inventory — 15 checked, 11 in force
◐6-week ban · LMPIn force
◐2 in-person visitsIn force
◐Method ban · D&XIn force
◐Physician-only lawIn force
◐One-parent consentIn force
✓Telehealth prescribing banIn force
◐24-hour waiting periodIn force
●Spousal consent or noticeNone
●Abortion trafficking lawNone
◐Scripted counselingIn force
●Civil bounty (SB8-style)None
✓Private insurance restrictionIn force
◐Mandatory ultrasoundDisplay
✓Pill-mailing banIn force
●Self-managed abortion crimeNone
§ III · Access
Criminal exposure
Procedure
Coverage & interstate
Available now
Severely restricted
Pregnant person
Expressly exempt
Waiting period
24 hours
Medicaid
Hyde only
Medication · telehealth
Legal · telehealth barred
Self-managed
Not a crime
Compelled visits
2 in person
Private insurance
Restricted
Who may perform
Physicians only
Provider max penalty
Felony, up to 2 years imprisonment…
Minors
One-parent consent
Shield state
No
Mailing pills
Banned
Fetal homicide law
Yes · abortion carved out
Judicial bypass
Available
Major pending change
Yes · see p. 2
✓ Abolition-aligned — forbids abortion or imposes liability◐ Partial — a hurdle, an enjoined law, or a carve-out● No restriction○ Unclear or not applicable
§ IV · Where the line is drawn — governing authorities
Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act (2023 Act No. 70), S.C. Code Ann. §§ 44-41-610 through… — This is the operative abortion ban in South Carolina: it prohibits abortion after…
2025 ●Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. South Carolina (May 14, 2025), Op. No. 28280 (S.C. Sup. Ct. 2025) — The most recent South Carolina Supreme Court decision affirming the constitutionality…
2023 ●Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. State (January 2023), 435 S.C. 600, 892 S.E.2d 121 (2023) — The decision that first recognized a state constitutional privacy right encompassing…
“Except as provided in Section 44-41-640, Section 44-41-650, and Section 44-41-660, no person shall perform or induce an abortion on a pregnant woman with the specific intent of causing or abetting an abortion if the…”— S.C. Code Ann. § 44-41-630(B)
Fetal personhood — how the contradiction is walled off
✓ S.C. Code Ann. § 44-41-610(14)
“'Unborn child' means an individual organism of the species homo sapiens from conception until live birth.”
Statutory personhood language: 'unborn child' from…
→
● Exempt · pregnant woman
Expressly exempt from abortion-chapter prosecution and civil damages
● Carved out · abortion
Abortion is not chargeable under the homicide statutes.
✓ Reached · third parties
Fetal homicide recognized; mother exempt
South Carolina's law embodies a deep internal contradiction. Wrongful death: Wrongful death for viable fetuses only.
§ V · Criminal exposure by actor
●
Pregnant woman
Expressly exempt from abortion-chapter…
✓
Physician
Felony, up to 2 years, $10,000 fine,…
✓
Non-physician prescriber
License revocation for non-physicians;…
○
Helpers · funds
Helpers face uncertain criminal exposure
●
Travel helpers
No 'abortion trafficking' law; travel…
●
Civil bounty
No SB8-style private civil bounty
✓ the actor faces criminal or civil exposure under state law · ● no exposure · ○ unclear or theoretical
Penalties on the books — top 4
§ VI · How the law got here ● court ■ statute ◆ executive / agency
U.S. Supreme Court issues Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, overruling Roe v. Wade and Casey.
5 Jan 2023●South Carolina Supreme Court strikes down the 2021 Fetal Heartbeat Act as violating Art.
25 May 2023■South Carolina General Assembly passes and Governor signs 2023 Act No.
23 Aug 2023●South Carolina Supreme Court vacates the preliminary injunction against the 2023 Act, allowing the six-week ban to…
14 May 2025●South Carolina Supreme Court issues final merits opinion in Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. South Carolina (Op.
26 Jun 2025●U.S. Supreme Court decides Medina v.
3 Feb 2026■South Carolina House passes H.
§ VII · Exceptions matrix
Named in law: ◐ the exception is written into the ban · ✓ no such exception · ● no ban for an exception to operate against. Verified (neutral): ✓ quoted text confirmed at source · ◐ semi-verified · ○ verify before publication · — not applicable.
§ VIII · Interstate & helpers
✓ No shield law
No shield law; not a shield state
● Travel unrestricted
Out-of-state travel for abortion is lawful
✓ Telehealth prescribing barred
Telehealth abortion prescribing not permitted
✓ Pill mailing banned
Mailing abortion pills prohibited
○ Funding help unclear
Funding assistance not expressly criminalized; subject to…
○ Providing information
Providing information not criminalized under current law
Interstate postureSouth Carolina is a restrictive state that has not enacted any law shielding abortion providers or patients from out-of-state investigations, subpoenas, extradition requests, or adverse licensing…
§ IX · Who pays
Hyde-only Medicaid coverage; defunding Planned…
Life
Hyde · federal
Rape
Hyde · federal
Incest
Hyde · federal
Beyond Hyde
Not covered
Private insurance coverage restricted
ACA exchange plans barred from covering abortion
✓State defunds abortion providers
§ X · Pending changes status and effect as recorded — no forecast
Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. South Carolina (further…The South Carolina Supreme Court issued a final merits decision on May 14, 2025, upholding the law. Potential…
A successful federal challenge could block enforcement of the six-week ban or parts of it, particularly in medical-emergency scenarios or regarding medication abortion…
LegislationH. 4760 — Abortion-Inducing Drugs (mifepristone/misoprostol as…Passed South Carolina House on February 3, 2026; pending in Senate.
If enacted, would classify mifepristone and misoprostol as Schedule IV controlled substances, making possession without a prescription a crime, imposing enhanced…
LegislationS. 323 — Unborn Child Protection Act (total ban)Introduced in 2025; pending in committee.
Would create a total abortion ban from fertilization with almost no exceptions; would delete the 'fetal heartbeat' provision; would make it a felony to provide…
LegislationH. 3537 — South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection ActIntroduced January 2025; had hearing January 14, 2025; pending in Judiciary Committee.
Would define 'person' to include an unborn child at any stage of development for purposes of homicide and assault laws, effectively treating abortion as homicide and…
§ XI · Key authorities ● case ■ statute ◆ agency
■Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act… S.C. Code Ann. §§ 44-41-610 through 44-41-700
●Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. South Carolina… Op. No. 28280 (S.C. Sup. Ct. 2025)
●Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. State (January… 435 S.C. 600, 892 S.E.2d 121 (2023)
■South Carolina Constitution — Right to Privacy S.C. Const. art. I, § 10
■Pregnant woman non-prosecution provision S.C. Code Ann. § 44-41-670
■Partial-birth abortion ban S.C. Code Ann. § 44-41-85
■Fetal homicide statute S.C. Code Ann. § 16-3-1083
●Crosby v. Glasscock Trucking Co. 340 S.C. 626, 532 S.E.2d 856 (2000)
●Fowler v. Woodward 244 S.C. 608, 138 S.E.2d 42 (1964)
■Insurance coverage restrictions S.C. Code Ann. § 38-71-238
■State defunding provision S.C. Code Ann. § 44-41-90
●Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic 604 U.S. ___ (2025)