Another abortion fight is looming as part of the debate on South Carolina's 2012-13 budget.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Another abortion fight is looming as part of the debate on South Carolina's 2012-13 budget.
A Senate panel on Tuesday unanimously approved a budget clause eliminating a woman's ability to get an abortion through the state health plan if she's a victim of rape or incest.
The panel left only one exception to the ban on abortions through state insurance -- when the mother's life is in jeopardy.
Republican Sen. Ken Bryant of Anderson says the proposal is to protect the rights of an unborn child. Opponents say it re-traumatizes crime victims, but Bryant says the unborn child shouldn't be harmed, too.
The fight pops up repeatedly in the South Carolina Legislature. The House approved a similar clause during an overnight budget debate in 2010, and the Senate removed it.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWACH