Judge says South Carolina can enforce 6-week abortion ban amid dispute over when a heartbeat begins

By JEFFREY COLLINS
Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A state judge has ruled that South Carolina can continue to enforce a ban on nearly all abortions around six weeks after conception as an appeal continues on what exactly defines a heartbeat under the law. Planned Parenthood wanted the law set aside as courts parse through different definitions of when cardiac activity starts. The state contends that heartbeats begin around six weeks when an ultrasound can detect cardiac activity. But the law also mentions when the major parts of the heart come together, often around nine weeks. The case is expected to have years of appeals.