Funding for Abortions Involving Rape, Incest Under Knife

South Carolina's state health plan would not pay for abortions in the case of rape or incest, according to a budget proviso passed by a Senate subcommittee Tuesday. 

The proviso would only allow for the health plan to cover abortions if the life of the mother is in danger, according to a report in The State. 

Sen. Kevin Bryant, R-Anderson, sponsored the proviso, according to the report. If it passes the full Senate Finance Committee, it will remain in place for one year.

“We’re focusing on the rights and the liberty of an unborn child, and I can’t understand why the life of a child that’s a victim ought to be terminated,” Bryant told The State.

The current state health plan (which covers more than 400,000 people, according to the article) allows for abortions in the case of incest, rape and danger to the life of the mother. The federal government health plan includes the same exceptions, commonly known as the Hyde Amendment. 

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