Statement from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on South Carolina’s Abortion Ban

Today in South Carolina, Governor McMaster signed an extreme and dangerous abortion ban into law. If allowed to stand, South Carolina’s ban, like more than a dozen other bans currently in effect, will criminalize health care providers and cause delays and denials of health and life-saving care.

With the passage of abortion bans in states like Florida and North Carolina earlier this year, Republican officials are dismantling women’s rights across the South, putting their health and lives in jeopardy.  South Carolina’s ban will cut off access to abortion for women in the state and those across the entire region for whom South Carolina is their closest option for care.

President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that in the United States, reproductive health care should be protected in every state and doctors shouldn’t be threatened for providing essential care. They will continue to call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe in federal law – and oppose ongoing attempts by Republican elected officials to undermine Americans’ fundamental freedoms. 

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