The closest abortion clinic to Myrtle Beach is across state lines. Here’s what to know
While abortions are still legal up to six weeks in South Carolina as of Monday, the closest clinic that performs abortions to Myrtle Beach residents is in North Carolina. The Wilmington Health Center Planned Parenthood branch is 67 miles away, approximately an hour and a half drive from central Myrtle Beach.
There are three facilities that offer abortions in South Carolina. Here’s the distance to those facilities from Myrtle Beach:
Planned Parenthood - Charleston: 89.0 mi. away
Planned Parenthood - Columbia: 123.6 mi. away
Greenville Women’s Clinic: 216.2 mi. away
North Carolina currently restricts abortion after “viability” which is after 20 weeks. The average cost in North Carolina for an abortion pill is $350-$650, while the average cost for a suction procedure is $600-$1000.
While the Coastline’s Women Center located in Conway is much closer to residents, it does not offer abortion procedures. The center offers other reproductive services such pre-abortion assessment and pregnancy confirmation.
A pre-abortion assessment confirms a pregnancy, and with an ultrasound, estimates how far along the pregnancy is.
South Carolina abortion law currently bans abortions after six weeks, and requires a doctor to perform a obstetric ultrasound to check for a heartbeat if they think a pregnant woman is more than eight weeks along.
Most United States residents are free to travel to another state for abortion services. However, Texas and Idaho are the only two states that have passed “bounty hunter” laws, where residents can sue providers, doctors, and even the driver giving a woman a ride to an abortion. The United States Supreme Court has since expressed opposition to restricting the right of interstate travel to access legal services.
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in his concurring opinion that despite the debate, a ban preventing women from getting an abortion in a legal state would not work based on the “constitutional right to interstate travel.”
Teresa Welsh, a resident of Pawley’s Island, attended a pro abortion protest Wednesday evening organized by Grand Strand Action Together.
“I hate it because I really love where I live, but if I was younger I’d probably want to get out,” Welsh, 56, said. When asked if she would make the trip to North Carolina to help someone get an abortion, she said “absolutely I would do that, 100 percent.”
Welsh has a 21 year old daughter.
“I feel awful for our girls because they are not gonna have any options,” Welsh said. “We’re gonna help our any way we can.”
A State Senate bill was introduced Tuesday called the “Equal Protection at Conception No Exception” Act and is sponsored by Senators Rex Rice from, Richard Cash, and Daniel Verdin. This bill would ban all medical abortions except to save the life of the pregnant woman.
This story was originally published June 29, 2022 at 12:00 AM.