The only five women in South Carolina’s 46-member Senate have vowed to resist new abortion restrictions up for debate after the group filibustered a near-total ban last month. But it remains to be seen whether the coalition known as the “sister senators” — three Republicans, one Democrat and one independent — will be able to block a new version of a bill that cleared the state Senate earlier this year with some of the bloc’s backing. The Republican-led state Senate on Tuesday is expected to debate a bill banning most abortions after an ultrasound detects cardiac activity, generally around six weeks and before most people know they are pregnant.
