Abortion Bans Fail in Nebraska and S. Carolina

Facts

• Two bills restricting abortion in South Carolina and Nebraska failed to advance through their state's respective Republican-dominated legislatures on Thursday.¹
• In Nebraska, a vote to end the debate so the bill could advance in the legislature failed by one vote. In South Carolina, senators rejected a bill that would have banned nearly all abortions in the state.²
• The Nebraska proposal to ban abortion after around the sixth week of pregnancy is unlikely to move forward this year after the vote failed to break a filibuster.³
• Meanwhile, the 22-21 vote on Thursday in South Carolina marks the third time a near-total abortion ban has failed in the state Republican-led chamber since the US Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade last year.⁴
• Abortion in South Caroline is currently legal through 22 weeks, a status that has drawn patients throughout the region, as abortion laws have become increasingly restrictive. The number of out-of-state patients has risen since the state supreme court struck down a 2021 law.²
• Fourteen states have bans on abortion at all stages of pregnancy. Four other states have bans throughout pregnancy where courts block enforcement.⁵

Sources: ¹Axios, ²Guardian, ³NPR Online News, ⁴CBS, and ⁵Associated Press.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by NPR Online News. The failure of these two bills is a victory for women's rights campaigners nationwide. This gives hope that the restrictive policies that have been enacted toward reproductive rights could be turned around.
• Republican narrative, as provided by Breitbart. The failure of these bills to advance is a frustrating setback. The vast majority of the constituents of these states support these bills aimed at protecting the most vulnerable, and the lawmakers should have followed suit and passed them.

Predictions