--- description: South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley signed legislation on Wednesday, outlawing most abortions at 20 weeks after fertilization title: South Carolina Gov. Signs 20-Week Abortion Ban Into Law image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt32265b8490f05ca5/698894f6a988ca12f36b7ff2/nikki-haley.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley Signs Law Banning Abortion After 19 Weeks  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 25, 2016 9:05 PM CUT  Gov. Nikki Haley delivers a speech on "Lessons from the New South" during a luncheon at the National Press Club in Washington on Sept. 2, 2015. Gov. Nikki Haley delivers a speech on "Lessons from the New South" during a luncheon at the National Press Club in Washington on Sept. 2, 2015.Evan Vucci—AP  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 25, 2016 9:05 PM CUT South Carolina Gov. [Nikki Haley](http://time.com/4302106/nikki-haley-2016-time-100/ "undefined") signed legislation on Wednesday outlawing most abortions at 20 weeks after fertilization. The law [passed the General Assembly last week](http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess121%5F2015-2016/bills/3114.htm "undefined") and blocks women from having abortions after 19 weeks of pregnancy, with no exceptions for rape or incest. There are exceptions to the law if the mother’s life is threatened or if a doctor determines a “fetal anomaly” would prevent the fetus from surviving after birth. Doctors who violate the law could face a fine or jail time. Abortion bans at 20 weeks are now in place in 13 states, according to the Associated Press. Opponents of the law [rallied outside the South Carolina Statehouse](http://www.postandcourier.com/20160524/160529671/abortion-rights-supporters-hold-rally-urging-gov-nikki-haley-to-veto-abortion-bill "undefined") on Tuesday, urging the Haley to veto the bill. The Republican governor had previously said she would sign bills that limit access to abortions, the [Charleston _Post and Courier_ reported](http://www.postandcourier.com/20160525/160529569/gov-nikki-haley-signs-bill-outlawing-abortion-at-20-weeks "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4348347/nikki-haley-south-carolina-abortion-law/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4348347/nikki-haley-south-carolina-abortion-law/"},"headline":"South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley Signs Law Banning Abortion After 19 Weeks","datePublished":"2016-05-25T21:05:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T17:50:31.849Z","description":"There are now 13 states with such a ban in effect","url":"https://time.com/4348347/nikki-haley-south-carolina-abortion-law/","keywords":["abortion","South Carolina"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt32265b8490f05ca5/698894f6a988ca12f36b7ff2/nikki-haley.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt32265b8490f05ca5/698894f6a988ca12f36b7ff2/nikki-haley.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Nikki Haley","caption":"Gov. Nikki Haley, R- S.C., delivers a speech on \"Lessons from the New South\" during a luncheon at the National Press Club, on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)","creditText":"Evan Vucci—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4348347/nikki-haley-south-carolina-abortion-law/","name":"South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley Signs Law Banning Abortion After 19 Weeks"}}]}] ```