Overview

• Senate Bill 323 would prohibit almost all abortions, allowing a procedure only when a pregnant person’s life faces an immediate risk under strict conditions.
• The measure exposes doctors and others who assist to severe penalties, including up to 30 years in prison, medical license sanctions, wrongful-death lawsuits, and possible RICO liability.
• It rewrites abortion statutes by emphasizing life at fertilization, removing judicial bypass for minors, eliminating exceptions for rape, incest, and fatal fetal anomalies, and requiring clinicians in some emergencies after 19 weeks to attempt fetal preservation.
• Schools would be required to teach a human development module featuring the three-minute “Meet Baby Olivia” animation starting in 2026–27, with the Attorney General empowered to enforce compliance.
• Hundreds testified for and against the bill, two former Republican senators opposed it, Governor Henry McMaster voiced support for the current six-week law, and the legislation’s prospects and potential immediate effect upon signature remain uncertain.