2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 44 - Health › Chapter 41 - Abortions › Section 44-41-610. Definitions.

As used in this article:
(1) "Abortion" means the act of using or prescribing any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance, device, or means with the intent to terminate the clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman with knowledge that the termination by those means will, with reasonable likelihood, cause the death of the unborn child. Such use, prescription, or means is not an abortion if done with the intent to save the life or preserve the health of the unborn child, or to remove a dead unborn child.
(2) "Clinically diagnosable pregnancy" means the point in time when it is possible to determine that a woman is pregnant due to the detectible presence of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).
(3) "Conception" means fertilization of an ovum by sperm.
(4) "Contraceptive" means a drug, device, or chemical that prevents ovulation, conception, or the implantation of a fertilized ovum in a woman's uterine wall after conception.
(5) "Fatal fetal anomaly" means that, in reasonable medical judgment, the unborn child has a profound and irremediable congenital or chromosomal anomaly that, with or without the provision of life-preserving treatment, would be incompatible with sustaining life after birth.
(6) "Fetal heartbeat" means cardiac activity, or the steady and repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart, within the gestational sac.
(7) "Gestational age" means the age of an unborn child as calculated from the first day of the last menstrual period of a pregnant woman.
(8) "Gestational sac" means the structure that comprises the extraembryonic membranes that envelop the unborn child and that is typically visible by ultrasound after the fourth week of pregnancy.
(9) "Medical emergency" means in reasonable medical judgment, a condition exists that has complicated the pregnant woman's medical condition and necessitates an abortion to prevent death or serious risk of a substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function, not including psychological or emotional conditions. A condition must not be considered a medical emergency if based on a claim or diagnosis that a woman will engage in conduct that she intends to result in her death or in a substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.
(10) "Physician" means a person licensed to practice medicine in this State.
(11) "Pregnant" means the human biological female reproductive condition of having a living unborn child within her body, whether or not she has reached the age of majority.
(12) "Rape" has the same meaning as criminal sexual conduct, regardless of the degree.
(13) "Reasonable medical judgment" means a medical judgment that would be made by a reasonably prudent physician who is knowledgeable about the case and the treatment possibilities with respect to the medical conditions involved.
(14) "Unborn child" means an individual organism of the species homo sapiens from conception until live birth.
HISTORY: 2021 Act No. 1 (S.1), Section 3, eff February 18, 2021; 2023 Act No. 70 (S.474), Section 2, eff May 25, 2023.
Validity
For the validity of the previous version of this section, see Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. State, 882 S.E.2d 770 (S.C. 2023); see Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Org., 142 S.Ct. 2228 (U.S. 2022).
Editor's Note
2023 Act No. 70, Sections 11 and 12, provide as follows:
"SECTION 11. The Public Employee Benefit Authority and the State Health Plan shall cover prescribed contraceptives for dependents under the same terms and conditions that the Plan provides contraceptive coverage for employees and spouses. The State Health Plan shall not apply patient cost sharing provisions to covered contraceptives.
"SECTION 12. The President of the Senate, on behalf of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, on behalf of the House of Representatives have an unconditional right to intervene on behalf of their respective bodies in a state court action and may provide evidence or argument, written or oral, if a party to that court action challenges the constitutionality of this act. In a federal court action that challenges the constitutionality of this act the Legislature may seek to intervene, to file an amicus brief, or to present arguments in accordance with federal rules of procedure. Intervention by the Legislature pursuant to this provision does not limit the duty of the Attorney General to appear and prosecute legal actions or defend state agencies, officers or employees as otherwise provided. In any action in which the Legislature intervenes or participates, the Senate and the House of Representatives shall function independently from each other in the representation of their respective clients."
Effect of Amendment
2023 Act No. 70, Section 2, rewrote the section.