The governor's proposal would change state law to allow abortions after 24 weeks ofpregnancy to protect a woman's health, a broader exemption than the current law that provides for late-term abortions only if a woman's life is at risk.
The task force reasoned that because a live fetus is a "person" under South Carolina law, expectant mothers who used cocaine after the 24th week ofpregnancy could be found guilty of distributing an illegal substance to a minor, a person under the age of 18, court papers show.