South Carolina House members began a debate Tuesday on a new total ban on abortion with no exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest even as some Republicans in the GOP-dominated chamber suggested they can’t vote for the bill as written.
But if the exceptions are put into the bill, the chamber’s most conservative members could join with Democrats to kill the bill, too.
On the day before the debate, one of the most conservative House lawmakers said 20 Republicans signed his letter saying they would not commit to voting for the total ban with the rape and incest exceptions, which with the 43 Democrats’ votes against would be enough to kill the bill.
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