Legislators in South Carolina, a US state, have passed a bill that seeks to ban nearly all abortions after approximately six weeks of pregnancy, a stage at which most women are not yet aware that they are pregnant.

The bill is anticipated to be signed into law by the state’s Republican governor, Henry McMaster. However, legal challenges are expected to follow.

This move reflects a trend among southern states in the US to curtail abortion rights following the Supreme Court’s decision last year to overturn the nationwide right to abortion.

While the vote in South Carolina was mainly divided along party lines, three Republican women in the state’s Senate opposed the bill.

Planned Parenthood South Atlantic plans to file a request for a temporary restraining order after the bill is signed, expressing concerns about the potential negative impact on women’s health.

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The bill, named the “Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act,” prohibits abortions in most cases once cardiac activity can be detected in the fetus or embryo, typically around six weeks into pregnancy. Exceptions are provided for cases of rape, incest, and medical emergencies.

The legislation is a revised version of an earlier bill that was declared unconstitutional by South Carolina’s Supreme Court in January.

Republican lawmakers in the state have persistently attempted to pass such a bill but had faced opposition from a bipartisan group of five women, including three Republicans.

The passage of this bill in South Carolina narrows the options for women seeking abortion in the South, and neighboring states like Virginia face increasing pressure as a result.

Last week, Republican lawmakers in North Carolina voted to uphold a ban on most abortions after 12 weeks.