South Carolina’s new law banning most abortions has been suspended one day after it was passed.
Judge Mary Geiger Lewis has suspended the law for two weeks amid Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit against the state, The Associated Press reported on Friday.
A hearing over the lawsuit is scheduled for March 9.
The new law prohibits women from getting abortions after a heartbeat is detected, except in cases of rape, incest or when mother’s life is in danger.
The doctor would have to make sure there is no heartbeat before an abortion is performed and could face felony charges if they proceed after a heartbeat is detected.
Planned Parenthood and The Center for Reproductive Rights said in the court papers that there were 75 abortions scheduled before the bill was signed and that if the it wasn’t suspended most of them wouldn’t be allowed to go through with the procedure, according to the AP.
The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office is arguing that the “South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act” is not guaranteed to be rejected by the Supreme Court.
The law is one of many bills that have been introduced by Republican lawmakers in recent years to restrict abortions.