South Carolina woman seeks clarity on abortion ban in lawsuit backed by Planned Parenthood

By JAMES POLLARD
Associated Press/Report for America

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina woman who traveled elsewhere for an abortion just days after reaching six weeks of pregnancy wants a court to affirm that the state’s ban on the procedure should not take effect until later in a pregnancy. In a lawsuit filed Monday, Taylor Shelton and Planned Parenthood South Atlantic argue that the Republican-led state Legislature provided two different definitions of “fetal heartbeat” in a confusing manner. Instead of the common interpretation that abortion is banned at six weeks, they say the ban should start at nine weeks. That’s because Planned Parenthood says the major components of the heart usually form around nine weeks. The complaint marks yet another attempt to relax the state’s so-called fetal heartbeat law.