South Carolina Lawmakers Advance Extreme Abortion Ban Bill

On the heels of the passage of the same bill in Georgia, South Carolina pushes an extreme heartbeat bill through committee

Columbia, S.C. –– Last night, right on the heels of the passage of an extreme “heartbeat bill” in Georgia, the South Carolina State Legislature pushed the same legislation through full committee. H.3020 would ban abortion as early as six weeks - before a woman may even know she is pregnant.

Make no mistake, these six-week abortion bans are part of a nationwide strategy to push extreme legislation that is designed to be challenged in court. The ultimate goal being the overturning of Roe v. Wade and it’s protections for millions of women nationwide. Compared to this point in 2018, six-week abortion bans have increased by a staggering 63%. Opponents to safe and legal abortion see an opportunity in Trump’s most recent appointee to the Supreme Court, Justice Kavanaugh. With H.3020, South Carolina joins Georgia and Mississippi in the race to the Supreme Court.

“We’re deeply disappointed in the legislators that voted to move forward this extreme legislation. Personal decisions about pregnancy, including abortion, should be between a woman and her doctor, without the interference of politicians.” said Vicki Ringer, Director of Public Affairs, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic. “Already this year, we have seen 250 bills restricting abortion in 41 states. A ban on abortion before viability, regardless of any exceptions, is blatantly unconstitutional. But now we know that anti-reproductive healthcare legislators are designing legislation that will be challenged in the courts with the hope that it will reach the Supreme Court. Today proved that.”

Planned Parenthood South Atlantic collected over 650 letters from South Carolinians opposed to the bill and delivered them by hand during the subcommittee hearing. These letters show clear opposition to their votes on H.3020. The letters were especially symbolic for Representative McCoy who only won his 2018 election by a margin on 500 votes.

These bills are deeply unpopular in states that have proposed them and South Carolina is no exception. South Carolinians demand protections to their rights -- they do not want to see increased and dangerous political interference in the exam room.