abortion Archives - SC Senate Republican Caucus

PRESS RELEASE: South Carolina Senate Republicans Stand Up for Life

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 23, 2023

SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE REPUBLICANS STAND UP FOR LIFE

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Today, the Senate voted to concur in House amendments to S. 474, a bill to prohibit the performance of abortions once the heartbeat of an unborn child is detectable, approximately six weeks into a pregnancy. This life-saving legislation includes exceptions in cases of rape, incest, medical emergency, or fatal fetal anomaly.

Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey issued the following statement:

“A heartbeat clearly indicates life. Today, Senate Republicans kept their promises and stood up for life in South Carolina. All children with a beating heart will soon be protected in this State. South Carolina will not be the abortion capital of the Southeast.”

Senator Larry Grooms, who authored the bill, added:

“There is no greater right than the right to life. Government’s primary purpose is to protect life. Every abortion takes a life. I am delighted that South Carolina will now join fourteen other states in protecting life once a heartbeat is detected.”

This bill is headed to the Governor for his signature.

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“The Forty-Six Speech”: Senator Reichenbach on South Carolina’s Heartbeat Bill

PRESS RELEASE: South Carolina Senate Passes Heartbeat Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 9, 2023

SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE MAJORITY LEADER SHANE MASSEY RELEASES STATEMENT ON THE PASSAGE OF HEARTBEAT BILL

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Today, the State Senate passed S. 474, a bill to prohibit the performance of abortions at the point the heartbeat of an unborn child is detectable, approximately six weeks into a pregnancy. This important legislation includes exceptions in cases of rape, incest, medical emergency, or fatal fetal anomaly.

Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey issued the following statement:

“Just last month, the Supreme Court of South Carolina issued a decision to strike down the strongest pro-life bill ever passed by the General Assembly, the Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act of 2021.

As a consequence, abortion is now legal in South Carolina through five months of pregnancy. While neighboring states have responded to the Dobbs decision with strong pro-life laws, South Carolina is becoming an abortion destination. In January, over one thousand abortions were performed inside the State, putting South Carolina on a trajectory to more than double its annual abortion numbers.

Fortunately, the State Senate adopted S. 474 today. This bill prohibits abortions at the point an unborn child’s heartbeat is detectable. Senate Republicans took time to read the opinions offered by the justices, and this bill incorporates our responses to the concerns they raised. I am confident that we have constructed this bill in such a manner that protects the unborn and withstands constitutional scrutiny.

I pray the South Carolina House of Representatives passes this bill quickly to help save thousands of lives in our State.”

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Senate Republicans Lead Fight To Protect Life And Pass South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection From Abortion Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JANUARY 28, 2021

Legislation Clears Senate, Now Moves To The House of Representatives

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Today the South Carolina Senate passed Senate Bill 1, known as the South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection From Abortion Act. The legislation passed the Senate by a 30-13 vote and will be referred to the House of Representatives for consideration.

The Heartbeat Bill is one of the most significant pieces of pro-life legislation to pass the Senate. If signed into law, it would ban abortions in South Carolina at the time in which a heartbeat is detectable, effectively bringing legal abortions down from twenty (20) weeks to just six to eight (6-8) weeks. The bill as passed includes exceptions for pregnancies as the result of rape, incest, or a medical emergency to protect the life of the mother. An allegation of rape or incest must be reported to the sheriff in the county in which the abortion was performed, no later than twenty-four hours after performing or inducing an abortion.

Quotables:

Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey says, “Passing this bill has been a priority since day one. South Carolina sent thirty Republicans to the State Senate for a reason and this is one of the bills we hear of most often. Passage of the Heartbeat Bill will save thousands of innocent pre-born lives in our state, and strikes an appropriate balance that we feel will stand up to Court scrutiny. It has taken a lot of hard work and coordinated teamwork to get this bill across the finish line, and I’m pleased to see the bill pass with an overwhelming vote and now move to the House for a vote.”

Bill sponsor Senator Larry Grooms says, “Life is the most precious right we have. Government’s primary duty is to protect the fundamental right to life. Without life, no other rights really matter. We know that a heartbeat is the most universal and most recognizable sign of life. There is no denying the fact that when you end a heartbeat, you end a life. The Heartbeat Bill respects this fundamental right and I’m pleased to see it pass the Senate today.”

Medical Affairs Committee Chairman Senator Danny Verdin says, “Life won in the South Carolina Senate today. The rights of the unborn deserve protection under the law. No symbol of life is stronger than a beating heart, and the Heartbeat Bill ensures that when a baby’s heart is beating, the government will not sanction that life to be taken. The Medical Affairs Committee took hundreds of hours of testimony on the matter and heard from hundreds of constituents from all across South Carolina. The members of the Senate Medical Affairs Committee have worked diligently and respectfully to those testifying and colleagues of the committee throughout this process.”

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