Articles

On Monday, an initial draft of the Supreme Court’s majority opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health was leaked to POLITICO. Justice Samuel Alito wrote the draft, and it confirms prevalent rumors that the nation’s highest court intends to strike down Roe v. Wade.

Such leaks are rare, and while this one has been confirmed authentic, it was likely released to pressure the judges in the majority to change their votes. Nonetheless, it’s an encouraging sign. Should the Supreme Court follow through on this initial opinion (remember, it was drafted several months ago), the primary basis for recognizing a national right to abortion would be removed.

Even if that happens, however, abortion would remain legal in South Carolina. Unlike many states, we do not have legislation protecting pre-born life should Roe v. Wade be repealed. Such legislation — S 1127, The Equal Protection for Unborn Babies Act — was introduced to the SC House and Senate earlier this year but stalled in committee.

It’s time our state went on record in defense of life and equal protection before the law. Please contact Governor Henry McMaster and ask him to call for the Senate and House to pass S 1127 immediately. No amendments.

For further analysis on the SCOTUS leak, please see World News and Free the States.

Update (Thursday, April 28, 2022): S 1127 and H 4830, bills for The Equal Protection for Unborn Babies Act, are stuck in committees in the South Carolina Senate and House of Representatives. S 1127 remains before the senate Medical Affairs committee, awaiting review and recommendation to the floor of the senate, where it has been since the beginning of March. The committee has not taken up the bill since then. H 4830 remains before the judiciary committee.

—

Update (Thursday, March 31, 2022): Earlier this month, S 988, The Equal Protection for Unborn Babies Act, was re-introduced in the South Carolina senate as S 1127. The bill remains before the senate Medical Affairs committee, awaiting review and recommendation to the floor of the senate. H 4830, the House of Representatives’ companion bill, remains before the judiciary committee, but has yet to make a meeting agenda.

—

Update (Friday, January 20, 2022): Representative Josiah Magnuson has released H 4830, a bill enacting the Equal Protection for Unborn Babies Act, in the South Carolina House of Representatives. Its language is very similar to S 988 introduced by Senator Cash in the Senate and it has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee for review.

—

Original Post: Last month, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in preparation for trying Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, a case from Mississippi revolving around a ban on abortions following 15-weeks. While there are many possible outcomes from this landmark case, a potential overturning of Roe v. Wade has attracted the most attention. In anticipation of such a decision, many states have passed “trigger laws”—legislation that will immediately abolish abortion in the state should the Supreme Court’s decision on the landmark 1974 case ever be overturned.

Many states, but not South Carolina.

Despite Palmetto State Republicans’ loud pro-life declarations and Red State advantages, they have never passed such legislation here.

The second half of the 2021/2022 legislative cycle has begun, however, and that oversight may be corrected—with your help.

S 988—The Equal Protection for Unborn Babies Act—has been introduced into the docket and has already made its way to the Medical Affairs Committee. If enacted, this bill would establish equal, legal protection for every baby conceived in South Carolina, beginning at conception, without exception—if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

Here’s what you can do to help:

1. Pray. Pray that the Supreme Court would go all the way and use Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health to overturn Roe. v. Wade later this year. Pray that the Lord would bless S 988 and the senators who support it.
2. Contact your state senator. Direct your senator to support and cosponsor S 988. You can find your state senator online.
3. If your senator serves on the Medical Affairs Committee, direct him to vote for S 988 without exception. Here are the senators who serve on the committee:
   1. Daniel B. “Danny” Verdin, III (Chairman)
   2. Harvey S. Peeler, Jr.
   3. Brad Hutto
   4. Shane R. Martin
   5. John L. Scott, Jr.
   6. Thomas C. Alexander
   7. Tom Davis
   8. Kevin L. Johnson
   9. Thomas “Tom” D. Corbin
   10. Marlon E. Kimpson
   11. Margie Bright Matthews
   12. Michael W. Gambrell
   13. Sandy Senn
   14. Richard J. Cash
   15. Mia S. McLeod
   16. Dwight A. Loftis
   17. Billy Garrett

While there are many avenues for protecting preborn life in our state, this obvious step should have been taken a while ago. We’ll keep you informed as this legislation advances. A similar bill will be introduced in the South Carolina House of Representatives soon.

The South Carolina Legislature

First, a brief civics lesson. Don’t worry—we’ll keep it short.

The South Carolina Legislature consists of the State Senate and the State House of Representatives. There are 46 Senators (one for each county in the state) and 124 Representatives (representing districts throughout the state, based on population). Taken together, the Senate and House are called the General Assembly.

Legislative sessions in South Carolina follow a two-year cycle. The 2021/2022 session began in January of 2021 and concluded its first half in May. The second half of the cycle will begin in January 2022 and conclude later in the same year. Together, these ten months constitute the 124th General Assembly of the State of South Carolina.

Priorities of the South Carolina Republican Party

As we’ve pointed out before, the SC GOP maintains the personhood of preborn children in its party platform:

We believe that the right to life is the first inalienable right, without which there can be no other rights. We believe that all human life has intrinsic worth and therefore support vigorous legal protection at all stages of life, from the unborn child to the elderly to the infirmed and disabled.

We believe the Fourteenth Amendment’s protection applies to unborn children. Unborn children should be classified as legal persons not as legal property.

By longstanding tradition, however, the state’s Republican party only passes (or attempts to pass) a single pro-life bill per legislative cycle. Why? Many party members claim that such bills are time-consuming and resources must be reserved for other legislative matters.

In other words, there isn’t a good reason.

But for now, that’s the way it is. For the current, 124th General Assembly the #heartbeatbill was it. That bill is now tied up in court challenges, where it’s not protecting anyone—just like similar bills passed in other states.

How to Pass the Personhood Act

Personhood South Carolina exists for one purpose: to pass the Personhood Act of South Carolina. This act would proclaim:

The General Assembly finds that a human being is a person at fertilization.

And further:

The rights guaranteed by Section 3, Article I, of the Constitution of this State—that no person shall be deprived of life without due process of law nor denied the equal protection of the laws—vest at fertilization for each born and preborn human being.

In other words, South Carolina would recognize that persons inside the womb enjoy the same rights as persons outside of it.

But what about the state GOP’s reluctance to pass more than one pro-life bill per legislative cycle? What does it mean for the Personhood Act of South Carolina?

It means now is the time to prepare! To make this bill a priority for the next legislative cycle, we need to tell our representatives to make it one. We need to tell our state senators and representatives to pass Personhood in the 2022/2023 session. We need to start telling them now and not stop.

• Pray for the end of abortion in South Carolina. Join a district prayer group. Don’t have a group in your county? Become a district captain and start one.
• Join your voice with ours. More followers on Facebook, more followers on Twitter, and more subscribers means more voices calling for the protection of life. Join with us today!
• Already on board? Then share this post with your friends and family! When it comes time to move the bill through a committee or onto the floor of the legislature, we want a call to action to reach a lot of South Carolinians.

During the elections last year, Personhood SC sent out pledge campaigns to state senate candidates, asking if they would support personhood if they are elected. The latest responses may be found below, organized by districts.