Taking the lead in the red state race to make The Handmaid's Tale a documentary, South Carolina Republicans have introduced a bill that would impose the death penalty on women who get abortions.
Pro-choice groups, like Planned Parenthood, say this bill is a threat to women.
"This one is particularly concerning because it would impose the death penalty on women who have abortions. It removes all exceptions including for rape, fetal anomaly, and even the health of the pregnant person," Vicki Ringer, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood's Atlantic Region, told WPDE.
The bill's author, Rep. Rob Harris of Spartanburg (District 36), argues that if we consider an unborn child to be life, then it should be protected like any other life. "If we call it life and define it as life, then why should anyone, not just mothers, why should anybody be able to take that life?" said Harris.
This bill comes on the heels of the Supreme Court's decision to end constitutional protections for abortion.
If the bill passes, it would severely restrict access to abortion in the state, with the only exception being if the woman faces a threat of immediate danger, death, or serious bodily harm. And even then, she would have to testify to prove her case.