South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said she plans to sign a state bill banning most abortions past 19 weeks.
“I can't imagine any scenario in which I wouldn't sign it,” the Republican governor said last week.
The bill will likely reach her desk soon. The measure allows exceptions only if the mother's life is in jeopardy or if a doctor determines the fetus could not survive outside the womb. That exemption for a “fetal anomaly” was crucial for the bill clearing the Senate, where Democrats have blocked the legislation since 2010.
A dozen states have similar laws in effect, while they've been blocked by court challenges in three others. But the U.S. Supreme Court has yet to rule on the ban's constitutionality.
Supporters believe a fetus can feel pain at 20 weeks. Opponents say the decision to end a pregnancy that could deliver a significantly unhealthy child shouldn't be up to politicians. The measure's definition of “fetal anomaly” would make it illegal to abort a fetus with a severe disability if the child could live.