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My name is Madeleine Herron, and I am a pro-life Charleston resident. Although I am not a Republican myself, I was initially excited to learn that my district is represented by Republican Senator Sandy Senn, as she also calls herself pro-life.

I belong to a generation that is increasingly aware of the need to address human rights violations in our society, and is therefore increasingly trending pro-life. We are ready for legislation to reflect our concern for disenfranchised members of our society. I am ready to see my SC State Senator accurately represent that concern by helping to enact the Personhood Act of South Carolina, a bill that would ensure the legal protection of all human beings from their earliest stages of life.

As the Personhood Act of South Carolina (S.217) was brought to the SC Senate Judiciary Committee for discussion and votes on February 20, I was hopeful that Senator Senn would vote in favor of it. She opted instead to abstain from voting, saying that she had some reservations about the bill in its current form, but did not want to vote against a pro-life measure. She voted in favor of the proposed amendment to improve the bill.

I am incredibly thankful that Senator Senn abstained from voting against S.217 in the judiciary committee meeting, as her abstention allowed the bill to move to the Senate floor for further discussion and refinement. I am also thankful for Senator Senn’s commitment to engaging in ongoing dialogue with her constituents on this extremely important issue, and for her openness in updating her constituents on her position on the bill, as well as her reasons for holding that position.

However, I would like to address some concerns I have with Senator Senn’s most recent update concerning S.217, wherein she states that this bill will likely not have her vote going forward.

Read moreLocal pro-life woman responds to Sandy Senn‘s troubling opposition to Personhood…

Senators GOLDFINCH, CLIMER, RICE, TIMMONS, and CASH proposed the following amendment (not yet finalized):

Amend the bill, as and if amended, page 2, by striking lines 35 through 37 as contained in SECTION 1, and inserting therein the following:

/ Section 11340. (A) Nothing in this article shall be construed to prohibit a licensed physician from performing a medical procedure or providing medical treatment designed or intended to prevent the death of a pregnant woman. However, the physician shall make reasonable medical efforts under the circumstances to preserve both the life of the mother and the life of the preborn human being in a manner consistent with accepted medical standards. Under such circumstances, the accidental or unintentional injury or death to the preborn human being is not a violation of this article. The threat of the death of a pregnant woman must not be based on a diagnosis or claim of a mental or emotional condition of the pregnant woman or a diagnosis or claim that the pregnant woman will purposefully engage in conduct that she intends to result in her death. The provisions of this section must not be construed to authorize the intentional killing of a preborn human being.

(B) Nothing in this article shall be construed to prohibit contraception. As used in this subsection, ‘contraception’ is defined as the prevention of fertilization.

(C) Nothing in this article shall be construed to prohibit in vitro fertilization or assisted reproductive technology. The authority to regulate in vitro fertilization and assisted reproductive technology procedures is reserved by the Legislature.

Section 11350. This article is enacted pursuant to the power reserved to this State under the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.” /

Renumber sections to conform.

Amend title to conform.

South Carolina State House | January 24, 2018 11:00 a.m.

Thank you, Dr. Clark.

This is an important day, and I appreciate everybody being here from all those little places that you spoke of all over South Carolina. I have to say that I am so proud of the people of South Carolina, proud of what we are doing in our state, proud of how far we have come. Over three hundred years as you know, and we’ve been through it all, the ups and downs. I really do believe that this is our time. I think the stars have lined up, as they say. I know that the eyes of the country, the eyes of the world in many respects, are on South Carolina. I see in economic terms—businesses—everybody wants to come to South Carolina. There’s a reason. There’s a reason, and the main one is—it’s not the port, it’s not the the technical colleges, it’s not the research universities, it’s not all those things, the mountains, the rivers—it’s the people of South Carolina. When I talk to other people from other countries especially, they say the people of South Carolina are different. And I believe we are. And this, what we are expressing today, is one manifestation of that difference.

I like to look at things in perspective. When you look at how things throughout history…I try to learn as much and I think I forget more than I’ve learned…still, in history you can see that there have been great changes, great movements that have taken time. When it is all over and people look back, they say, “How did those people ever believe any other way?!” And that applies to a lot of things like voting, like ownership of other people, like the divine right of kings and queens, and those kind of things that we look at today and wonder how was it ever otherwise in how we see the light today. I think that this is one area—of human life—that some point in our future—it won’t be tomorrow but it’s coming—there will be a day when everyone will understand clearly that the right to life is the most important right there is, that life begins at conception, it is a God-given right, and we must do all we can to protect it.

You know they say, a lot of those realizations throughout history—and there have countless, all over other countries, not just here—and these were smart people, the smartest, the most educated, the most talented, they all on many things were dead wrong. Sometimes for centuries after centuries. So I am confident—and I see people here that I remember from years ago that have been laboring in this vineyard—my hat’s off to you. Remember this: You cannot beat the man or the woman who won’t quit. You can’t beat someone who won’t quit. So I urge you: don’t quit. We are doing the right thing. It’s a marvelous cause, and I’m looking forward to the day when we can look back and say that the people of South Carolina were in the vanguard of leadership in changing this notion in the United States and in the world about the right to life.

Thank you.