South Carolina abortion law temporarily halted by judge

A judge in South Carolina temporarily blocked the state's heartbeat abortion law Friday. 

“The status quo should be maintained until the Supreme Court reviews its decision,” Judge Clifton Newman of the Circuit Court of South Carolina said, according to The Associated Press. 

The South Carolina Supreme Court will have to review the new law, which prohibits most abortions after six weeks. 

In a 3-2 ruling, the state Supreme Court said in 2021 that the law violated the state constitution’s right to privacy. But legislative advocates of the new law say that with the "technical tweaks" that were made to the old law, they believe it will be upheld this time by the Supreme Court.

As of now, it's not clear when the Supreme Court will take up the lawsuit. It's currently pending in the circuit court.

Republican Gov. Henry McMaster said he is sure that eventually, the legislation will succeed. 

"We stand ready to defend this legislation against any challenges and are confident we will succeed," the governor said in a statement. "The right to life must be preserved, and we will do everything we can to protect it."