Apparently there is a race to the bottom among ‘red states’ and South Carolina is aiming for first place, a blue ribbon signifying cruelty. With Senate Bill 323 South Carolina becomes a major contender having written a regressive and dangerous law that will cause women to suffer or die and doctors to abandon the state.
This extreme abortion ban is being fast-tracked through the SC Senate with a hearing on October 1st at 9:30am in the Gressette Building, Room 105 at the Columbia Statehouse.
After reading about the horror show below call your senator and Medical Affairs committee members given at the bottom of this blog post.
Demand that they abandon this egregious attack on South Carolinians autonomy, privacy, speech, and safety. Find your senator at: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/legislatorssearch.php
S.323 is an almost total ban on abortions, identifying it as the crime of homicide punishable by a prison term of up to 30 years for a person having an abortion or aiding in abortion.
There are NO exceptions for rape, incest, or fatal fetal anomalies. This last means that women would be forced to continue to carry fetuses with no hope of life outside the womb, often fetuses that are likely to die in the uterus threatening the life of the woman.
Among other things, S. 323 would:
- Rewrite definitions that could restrict access to some forms of birth control, especially methods deemed post-fertilization.
- Restrict in vitro fertilization by defining a “human embryo” as a fertilized egg or zygote.
- Make it unlawful to possess any drug or substance that can be used for abortion.
- Make providing information about abortion unlawful, including via a website or phone call.
CALL TO ACTION:
- Email your written testimony/comments by Mon, Sept 29, 9:00am (subject line: “S.323 testimony”) to smedicomm@scsenate.gov. Be sure to include your name and town.
- Speak at 9:30am on Oct 1 during the public testimony period (arrive early).
- Call all Subcommittee members immediately:
| Name | Phone | |
| Sen. Danny Verdin(Chair) | (803)-212-6250 | Not Available |
| Sen. Richard J. Cash (Bill Sponsor) | (803) 212-6124 | RichardCash@scsenate.gov |
| Sen. Billy Garrett (Bill Sponsor) | (803)212-6016 | BillyGarrett@scsenate.gov |
| Sen. Thomas D. Corbin | (803) 212-6100 | TomCorbin@scsenate.gov |
| Sen. Brad Hutto | (803) 212-6140 | BradHutto@scsenate.gov |
| Sen. Shane Martin | (803) 212-6420 | ShaneMartin@scsenate.gov |
| Sen. Ronnie Sabb | (803) 212-6056 | RonnieSabb@scsenate.gov |
| Sen. Deon Tedder | (803) 212-6132 | DeonTedder@scsenate.gov |
| Sen. Jeff Zell | (803) 212-6040 | JeffZell@scsenate.gov |