South Carolina lawmakers want to banish abortion talk from the Internet

The South Carolina Senate introduced a bill that would try to block internet users from talking about abortion in a negative way.

The bill would ban any website from hosting or publishing any information about abortion "knowing that the information will be used or is likely to be used for an abortion."

The bill restricts "providing information to a pregnant woman, or someone seeking information on behalf of a pregnant woman, by telephone, internet, or any other mode of communication" There are restrictions against providing abortion referral services, as well as hosting or maintaining a website that's "purposefully directed to a pregnant woman" in South Carolina. Once the law is enforced, there will be more restrictions applied.

The law that is linked here expands the web of punishment by targeting people who attempt to "aid and abet" an abortion. felony charges could be brought against anyone who violates, attempts to violate, or threatens to violate the law by a range of stakeholders, including the state attorney general, solicitors, the father or grandparents of the unborn child, or the parents or legal guardians of pregnant minor. If the unborn child dies as a result of the violation, or if the unborn child is born alive despite the violation, there will be imprisonment for not more than 25 years.

In addition to these restrictions, the bill paints abortion providers as an organized crime syndicate that must be regulated as such and abortion pills as a street drug that senators predict will be used to traffic drugs.

Even if the bill is passed by the state legislature and signed by the governor, no one knows if it will stand. The Food and Drug Administration has defended the legality of mail-order abortion pills, according to a report. Civil rights laws are violated when abortion pill prescriptions aren't filled. Concerns about the First Amendment are also present. Legal scholars say that the South Carolina bill will be a sign of other state measures which may restrict communication and speech as they seek to curtail abortion. Unless successfully challenged in court, the rest of the sections will remain valid.

The bill's sponsors did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesman for the Electronic Frontier Foundation told Ars that they don't have an official position on the bill.

Proposed abortion laws broaden political divide

The "No Exceptions" Act is the most recent of many proposed laws that seek to regulate abortion more strictly. Louisiana tried and failed to make abortion a crime, while Republicans in Idaho decided against making abortion exceptions for pregnant people whose lives are at risk. According to the Washington Post, more Republicans are ready to eliminate rape and incest exceptions.

The North Carolina bill that declared abortion would be treated like murder and that lethal force could be used to prevent someone from seeking an abortion was brought to the attention of the public by a recent social media post. That isn't a reality right now, but it shows how extreme proposed laws can be when it comes to abortion.

The "My Body, My Data Act" was introduced last month and is currently being debated by congress. President Biden supports making an exception to the filibuster so that Democrats can pass legislation protecting abortion access.