For Immediate Release: February 16, 2023
Contact: Kelsey Pritchard, [email protected]
Overwhelming Margins Indicate Protecting Life Is the Will of the People
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina House of Representatives this morning passed the Human Life Protection Act to protect unborn babies and their mothers from abortion throughout pregnancy. The bill states women cannot be prosecuted for having an abortion and provides exceptions for instances of rape, incest, fatal fetal anomaly, and life of the mother. State representatives voted 77-31 to advance the bill, which has been referred to the Senate Medical Affairs Committee.
The advancement of H. 3774 follows the Senate’s passage last week of legislation (S. 474) to protect unborn children with a detectable heartbeat, with two-thirds of the members voting to support. The Senate bill also allows for exceptions and has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
South Carolina’s current law allows for unborn lives to be taken until 20 weeks gestation –halfway through pregnancy and well beyond a point when science shows unborn babies can feel pain.
SBA Pro-Life America’s Southern Regional Director Caitlin Connors commented:
“South Carolina is blessed with strong pro-life leaders who keep pressing on in the fight to save lives. Lawmakers are yet again representing the will of the people by advancing measures to protect the unborn and their mothers, with overwhelming vote margins. Under pro-life champion Governor Henry McMaster, who has prioritized safeguarding life from day one, South Carolinians are leading the way and we are very hopeful that strong pro-life protections will make it into law as soon as this year.
“When a law is passed that reflects the consensus of South Carolina and the deliberations of the legislature, we call on the South Carolina Supreme Court to adhere to the Constitution and rule of law in reviewing this measure and any law relating to the rights of the unborn.”
In 2021, Gov. McMaster signed a law to protect the unborn when their heartbeat can be detected. The human heart is one of the first organs to form, and by six weeks’ gestation, an unborn baby’s heart rate is approximately 110 beats per minute. That law was challenged and permanently enjoined by the South Carolina Supreme Court on Jan. 5 of this year.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America is a network of more than one million pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.
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