A South Carolina woman arrested in February after she allegedly self-administered an abortion pill to terminate a pregnancy recently had her charges dropped.
The 13th Circuit Solicitor's Office told the Post & Courier of Greenville that it didn't prosecute the charge against the woman because of "insufficient evidence or another legal issue."
The dropped charges follow a contentious 2023 South Carolina legislative session, which saw the state pass a six-week abortion ban. Governor Henry McMaster signed the ban into law in May.
South Carolina's all-male Supreme Court in August upheld the near-total ban on abortion by a 4-1 vote, joining a growing list of states limiting abortion care since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade in June 2022.
Newsweek reached out to the 13th Circuit Solicitor's Office and the South Carolina Women's Rights and Empowerment Network for additional comments.
The South Carolina State House in Columbia, South Carolina, on May 16, 2023. The General Assembly passed a bill in the 2023 legislative session, that bans all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions...The South Carolina State House in Columbia, South Carolina, on May 16, 2023. The General Assembly passed a bill in the 2023 legislative session, that bans all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, incest and fetal anomalies. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Henry McMaster, and in August, was upheld by the SC Supreme Court.AFP/Getty Images/Logan CyrusThe 33-year-old woman was arrested in September 2022 for self-administering an abortion. At the time of her arrest, the charge was a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of up to two years in prison and a $1,000 fine.
However, after the passage of the abortion ban, the crime increased to a felony, with a two-year minimum prison sentence and a $5,000 fine.
In October 2021, the woman was taken to a Greenville hospital due to labor contractions. Local outlet the Greenville News reported at the time that she told hospital officials she took a pill to terminate her pregnancy.
She later gave birth to a stillborn fetus of 25 weeks in a hospital bathroom, according to the Greenville County Coroner's Office.
Investigators obtained a warrant nearly a year later in September 2022, after determining the woman self-administered the pill illegally just days before the stillborn fetus' birth.
Greenville Police Department Spokesperson Johnathan Bragg told the Greenville News the hospital notified the police about the incident, which led to the woman's arrest.
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South Carolina's near-total abortion bans have previously been struck down by judges.
The Republican-controlled South Carolina legislature went into a special summer session after a host of contentious debates to pass the six-week abortion ban.
In September, the five women state senators who formed a bipartisan coalition to filibuster the near-total abortion ban were chosen to receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. Democrat Margie Bright Matthews and Independent Mia McLeod joined Republicans Katrina Shealy, Sandy Senn and Penry Gustafson to form the coalition.
The far-right South Carolina Freedom Caucus may look to lead a new push to pass a total abortion ban in the upcoming 2024 session. However, Shane Massey, State Senate Majority Leader, urged caution when speaking to reporters in August.
"What we saw today (with the SC Supreme Court vote) was a big win, but it's the result of work for a number of years," Massey told the Greenville News. "And I think we need to let this settle and let's see how this plays out in South Carolina before we start doing anything else."
