S.C. Supreme Court denies Planned Parenthood’s appeal to enjoin the Fetal Heartbeat Act

The South Carolina Supreme Court denies the appeal of two abortion businesses to enjoin the Fetal Heartbeat and Protection Act and to determine the meaning of “fetal heartbeat.” All five justices signed the order: Chief Justice Donald W. Beatty, and Justices John W. Kitteridge, John Cannon Few, George C. James, Jr., and D. Garrison Hill. The abortion industry argued the fetal heart is not developed until the ninth week of gestation. The Act defines the fetal heartbeat as “cardiac activity, or the steady and repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart, within the gestational sac.” On August 23, 2023, the South Carolina Supreme Court issued a 4-1 opinion upholding the Fetal Heartbeat Act. Beatty was the only dissenter. The November 14, 2023, Court order denies the request for injunctive relief and further asks the Court to enjoin the enforcement of the Act.