South Carolina to bring in a bill that would make a woman who had an abortion eligible for the death penalty

A bill that would allow the execution of an abortion victim is about to be introduced by lawmakers in South Carolina. A zygote would have ‘equal protection under the homicide laws of the state,’ up to and including the death penalty, under the ‘South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act of 2023,’ which would amend the state’s current legal system by expanding the definition of ‘person’ to include a fertilised egg at the time of conception.

Now, South Carolina can imprison a person for up to two years and charge them $1,000 for performing an abortion. This occurs at a time when at least 13 US States have outlawed abortion as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe v. Wade.

Abortion is currently legal in South Carolina but up to 21 weeks and 6 days; outlawing a 2021 ban, where abortion at six weeks was struck down by the US top court, CNBC News reported.

This is not the first time a US lawmaker has introduced the death penalty, which is one of the harshest punishments.

Back in March 2021, Texas state Rep. Bryan Slaton proposed legislation that would not only ban abortion but would also criminalise, and might even lead up to the death penalty, the Texas Tribune reported. However, the bill like other legislation was not passed.