South Carolina Code 44-41-630. Obstetric ultrasound; display of images; recording written medical description of images of fetal heartbeat; penalties
(1) perform an obstetric ultrasound on the pregnant woman, using whichever method the physician and pregnant woman agree is best under the circumstances;
Terms Used In South Carolina Code 44-41-630
- 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. See South Carolina Code 44-41-610
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Fetal heartbeat: means cardiac activity, or the steady and repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart, within the gestational sac. See South Carolina Code 44-41-610
- Physician: means a person licensed to practice medicine in this State. See South Carolina Code 44-41-610
- 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. See South Carolina Code 44-41-610
- Unborn child: means an individual organism of the species homo sapiens from conception until live birth. See South Carolina Code 44-41-610
(2) during the performance of the ultrasound, display the ultrasound images so that the pregnant woman may view the images; and
(3) record a written medical description of the ultrasound images of the unborn child‘s fetal heartbeat, if present and viewable.
(B) Except as provided in § 44-41-640, § 44-41-650, and § 44-41-660, no person shall perform or induce an abortion on a pregnant woman with the specific intent of causing or abetting an abortion if the unborn child’s fetal heartbeat has been detected in accordance with § 44-41-330(A). A person who violates this subsection is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined ten thousand dollars, imprisoned for not more than two years, or both.