Zincwarrior
Diamond Member
- Nov 18, 2021
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South Carolina bill outlaws websites that tell how to get an abortion
More states could follow, setting up a battle over the future of online speech across the country.
Shortly after the Supreme Court ruling that overturned the right to abortion in June, South Carolina state senators introduced legislation that would make it illegal to “aid, abet or conspire with someone” to obtain an abortion.
The bill aims to block more than abortion: Provisions would outlaw providing information over the internet or phone about how to obtain an abortion. It would also make it illegal to host a website or “[provide] an internet service” with information that is “reasonably likely to be used for an abortion” and directed at pregnant people in the state.
Legal scholars say the proposal is likely a harbinger of other state measures, which may restrict communication and speech as they seek to curtail abortion. The June proposal, S. 1373, is modeled off a blueprint created by the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), an antiabortion group, and designed to be replicated by lawmakers across the country.
I find the potential First Amendment and Federal issues intriguing on this. Can a state criminally regulate free speech, and free speech over the internet which has Federal regulations and control issues separate from the First Amendment.