James Pollard/Associated Press/Report for America

A wave of newly approved abortion restrictions in the Southeastern United States has sent providers scrambling to reconfigure their services for a region with already severely limited access. South Carolina's governor signed a bill Thursday banning most abortions around six weeks of pregnancy, setting up an anticipated legal challenge from providers. The law Thursday goes into effect immediately. Pending bans at varying stages of pregnancy in North Carolina and Florida are threatening to further delay abortions for patients as appointments pile up and doctors work to understand the new limitations. The states had been holdouts providing wider access to the procedure in the region.

The South Carolina Senate has approved a bill that would ban most abortions after around six weeks of pregnancy, sending the bill to the governor who has promised to sign it. The proposal passed on Tuesday restores the ban South Carolina had in place when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year. That ban was overturned by the state’s highest court because it violated the state Constitution’s right to privacy.

South Carolina is close to joining its Southern neighbors in further curtailing abortion access. The Republican-led state Senate on Tuesday is expected to consider a bill banning most abortions after an ultrasound detects cardiac activity, generally around six weeks and before most patients know they are pregnant. The proposal cleared the state House last week following nearly 24 hours of proceedings split across two days over hundreds of Democrats' amendments. But additional regulations inserted by the House are provoking Republican ire that could prolong the debate. Those changes include requiring child support beginning at conception and limiting minors' ability to petition the court for an abortion.

Abortions would be almost entirely banned after about six weeks of pregnancy under a bill debated early into Wednesday morning by the South Carolina House in a development that follows months of Republicans in the chamber insisting instead on a near-total ban that the state Senate recently rejected.

The Republican-controlled South Carolina House is expected to debate a bill that would ban abortion as soon as cardiac activity is detected. The debate on Tuesday comes after the state Senate rejected a proposal to nearly outlaw the procedure as soon as conception. The chambers' disagreement over restrictions epitomizes fault lines that have developed between Republicans nationwide since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. The measure in the House would ban abortion when an ultrasound detects cardiac activity, around six weeks and before most people know they are pregnant. Opponents say a ban around six weeks is essentially an "outright abortion ban."

South Carolina has a new top accountant after a 20-year officeholder resigned amid pressure over a $3.5 billion reporting error. Brian Gaines is now the state comptroller general and will oversee an office that has received mounting scrutiny from lawmakers who want to dismantle its responsibilities. The shakeup comes after former Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom revealed the state's Annual Comprehensive Financial Report had exaggerated cash balances by double counting the money sent to colleges and universities.

South Carolina Republicans are one step closer to restricting how race gets taught in K-12 classrooms. As Republicans nationwide push bans on so-called "critical race theory," the state Senate passed a likeminded effort Wednesday in a late night 27-10 vote after nearly six hours of debate. Parents could challenge any educational materials they say violate banned teachings around white privilege and implicit bias under a bill sent back to the GOP-controlled House. Republicans say the bill keeps subjective opinions out of the classroom and allows parents to know what their children are learning. Opponents say it will sanitize the truth and increase stressors on a profession already experiencing record vacancies.

South Carolina Republicans are pushing new abortion restrictions in an attempt to curtail access after a near-total ban failed last month. A Senate bill that would ban abortion except in the earliest weeks of pregnancy moved quickly Tuesday through the South Carolina House in the first sign that Republican leaders may be close to restoring limits passed in 2021 but overturned by the state Supreme Court. The measure seeks to ban abortion when an ultrasound detects cardiac activity, around six weeks and before most women know they are pregnant. It now goes to the House floor for a vote before returning to the Senate.

The beach community where officials say a DUI driver killed a bride on her wedding night is rallying around the victim's family. Lisa Miller says people have bought her family food and offered oceanside condos since her daughter Samantha Miller, 34, died Friday in Folly Beach, South Carolina. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native was remembered as a positive person who sought to take care of everyone in her presence. "Sam doesn't want this to destroy our lives," Lisa Miller says. Now, she is urging drunken drivers to reconsider taking the wheel. Meanwhile, the groom, Aric Hutchinson, is recovering from a brain injury and numerous broken bones.

Officials in several battleground states have proposed boosting funding to add staff, enhance security and expand training within election offices ahead of the 2024 race. The proposed funding increases come as many election offices are grappling with a wave of retirements and a flood of public records requests from election skeptics, stemming partly from lingering election distrust seeded by former President Donald Trump. A top South Carolina election official says almost half of county election directors have resigned in the last two years.