Commentary

Gov. Nikki Haley signed legislation this week that would ban abortions after 20 weeks in that state unless the pregnancy threatened the mother’s life. In addition, South Carolina allows for an abortion in cases when a doctor determines that the baby has a fatal defect and could not survive outside of the womb.

The legislation is based upon scientific research demonstrating that babies in the womb experience intense pain as a result of abortions.

16 states and the U.S. House have passed similar legislation. Idaho is one of those, but is also one of three in which federal courts have insisted that laws to protect late-term babies are “unconstitutional”.  South Carolina’s action helps to keep the national pressure building for the movement to end the destruction of innocent life after viability.

While the Abortion Industry and some lackeys on the federal bench continue to insist that late term babies do not experience tortuous pain during abortion, the scientific evidence of their suffering continues to mount. Dr. Steven Zielinski, of Oregon, has testified before the U.S. Congress that his research proves that babies can begin to experience pain as early as 8 ½ weeks into a pregnancy.

On a related point – LifeNews is highlighting a new study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association that advances in science have now produced an amazing 71% survival rate for premature babies born at 22 weeks. This new data set will almost certainly mean that the U.S. Supreme Court will have to reevaluate its treatment of late term abortion cases, even if they reject the science of the baby’s painful suffering.