COLUMBIA (AP) -- South Carolina legislators have barred the state's health insurance plan from covering abortions in cases of rape or incest, but allowed a limited exception when the mother's life is in danger.
The House pulled an all-nighter into Thursday on the state's $5 billion spending plan.
Legislators reverted to the abortion issue after rejecting the ban 57-54 late Tuesday.
They approved letting the state pay if an abortion was an "incidental" effect of a doctor trying to save a mother's life, if the doctor was trying to save both. Democrats called the vague language ridiculous.
Democrats accused their Republican counterparts of playing God, and imposing a religious viewpoint on others. Republicans argued it's an ethical issue, and that a child should not pay for a father's crime.
(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)