The South Carolina legislature passed a bill Tuesday that prohibits abortions after 19 weeks. Sixteen states have enacted similar late-term abortion bans.
Under the measure, any doctor who performs an abortion after 19 weeks of pregnancy will face up to three years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.
Rep. Wendy Nanney, who sponsored the bill, hopes it will be the start of efforts to ban abortion in the state.
"I firmly believe life begins at conception and anything we can do to protect human life I'm all for," she said.
The bill passed by a vote of 79-29 in the state House and by 36-9 in the Senate.
It has exceptions if the mother's life is in jeopardy or if the baby will not survive outside the womb. It does not provide exceptions for rape.
The legislation will now head to Gov. Nikki Haley's desk, who said she will almost certainly sign the bill into law after careful review.
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