SC Governor Renews Push for Abortion Ban in State of State

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster vowed Wednesday to press forward with efforts to further restrict abortion in the state.

The Republican governor announced he would file a petition next week for a rehearing in his State of the State speech delivered less than three weeks after the South Carolina Supreme Court struck down the state's ban as a violation of privacy.

I remain optimistic that we will prevail in our historic fight to protect and defend the right to, and the sanctity of, life, McMaster said.

McMaster also used the address to endorse an overhaul to the state's system of selecting judges that would give him more control over the process. South Carolina is one of two states where the Legislature selects members of the judiciary all the way up to Supreme Court justices. McMaster called for gubernatorial appointments with the advice and consent of the state Senate in a method that would resemble the federal government's model.

A pending state Supreme Court decision also received attention. As justices weigh whether the electric chair or a firing squad are legal execution methods, McMaster tasked the General Assembly with passing a shield law to protect the identities of companies that provide lethal injection drugs. McMaster said doing so would free the companies to restock the state's depleted supply without fear of public pressure from activists against capital punishment.