The heartbeat law, which offers preborn protections after about six weeks, was signed by Governor Henry McMaster in 2021 and went into effect following the overturn of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. It was the subject of repeated legal challenges from the abortion industry and was put on hold while the Supreme Court ruled on its constitutionality.

Writing the lead opinion, Justice Kaye Hearn ruled that the "state constitutional right to privacy extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion."

In a dissent, Justice John Kittredge, joined by Justice George James, ruled that the court should defer to the wishes of the state's lawmakers. "Abortion presents an important moral and policy issue. The citizens, through their duly elected representatives, have spoken," Kittredge wrote. "The South Carolina legislature, not this court, should determine matters of policy."

According to the New York Times, the ruling makes South Carolina the first state Supreme Court to rule in favor of a constitutional right to abortion. In response, pro-abortion groups in 19 states immediately filed lawsuits hoping to establish a constitutional right to abortion in their own states.

The Biden administration praised the ruling Thursday afternoon. "We are encouraged by South Carolina's Supreme Court ruling today on the state's extreme and dangerous abortion ban. Women should be able to make their own decisions about their bodies," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a tweet.

McMaster blasted the court's decision, vowing to fight it. "Our State Supreme Court has found a right in our Constitution which was never intended by the people of South Carolina. With this opinion, the court has clearly exceeded its authority. The people have spoken through their elected representatives multiple times on this issue. I look forward to working with the General Assembly to correct this error," he said.

State Attorney General Alan Wilson confirmed he is working with McMaster on the state's next steps. "We respectfully, but strongly, disagree with the Court's ruling," he said.

Speaker of the South Carolina House, Murrell Smith, also criticized the ruling. "Unfortunately, the South Carolina Supreme Court followed the path of the U.S. Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade by creating a constitutional right to an abortion where none exists," he said. "Today's decision fails to respect the concept of separation of powers and strips the people of this state from having a say in a decision that was meant to reflect their voices. Instead, South Carolina is left with a decision that is not reflective of our state's political process or will." Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Atheists Triggered by Billy Graham Statue in the US Capitol

Israel Pursues 'Critical' Rafah Battle, Defends against Legal Attack as Gaza Aid Pier Nears Completion

More Shady Biden Accounts Have Been Discovered

House Judiciary Votes to Hold AG Merrick Garland in Contempt of Congress

Fed Court: Parents in Maryland School District CANNOT Opt K-5 Children Out of LGBTQ Curriculum

Teacher Wins $360,000 Settlement after Being Fired for Refusing to Use Preferred Pronouns Because of Her Faith: 'Justice Is Served'

NFL Star Harrison Butker's Brave Commencement Speech Triggers the Left, Causing Them to Petition for Him to Be Fired; Others Call Him 'Hero'

UK Waking Up? Government to End Sex Education for Children Under Nine, and Teach That 'Gender Ideology' is Contested

'For Love of Country': Tulsi Gabbard Is Free from the Democrat Party She No Longer Recognizes

Soros-Linked DC Judge Releases Teen Gunman after He Sprayed Dozens of Shots at a Car

Kansas City Chiefs Kicker Slams Biden for Supporting Abortion in College Commencement Speech

Persecution of Pro-Life Americans Continues With This Week's Sentences in DC FACE Act Case

Senator Paul to Newsmax: Scientist Affirms Gain-of-Function in Wuhan, 'This Is a Really Big Deal'

White House Asserts 'Executive Privilege' over Biden's Interview with Robert Hur, Blocking the Tapes from Congress

'God Was With Us': Pastor Touts Miracle after Terrifying Moment F1 Tornado Rips Off Church's Roof during Worship Service

Canada's Intelligence Agency Classifies Opponents of LGBT Gender Ideology as a 'Violent Threat'

Argentina's Javier Milei Is Proving the Leftists Wrong With Latest Economic News

As Memorial, Independence Days End, Israel's Attention Turns to Rafah, Hezbollah Battlefronts

New Biden Rule Aims to Entrench the Deep State Forever

Bombshell Report: George Soros Fueled $80M in Attempt to 'Silence Americans' Using Big Tech Censorship in Lead-Up to 2024 Elections