COLUMBIA, S.C. (Thursday, May 11, 2023) – The South Carolina General Assembly reached the end of the legislative year at 5 p.m. today but will continue to work during a special session called by Governor Henry McMaster to pass the Fetal Heartbeat Bill (S474). Please contact your State Representative here and encourage them to vote for this life saving law.

You can join pro-life supporters in the State House lobby next week beginning Tuesday to encourage your pro-life legislators. You also can watch the historic debate online at www.scstatehouse.gov.

In a strongly worded statement late Wednesday afternoon, House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, made it clear, “We are going to come back next Tuesday, May 16, and be prepared to be here for as long as it takes.” Referring to the Fetal Heartbeat Act that protects the unborn child once the heartbeat can be detected, the Speaker emphasized that the House “will not adjourn until we finish.” He encouraged the members to bring their own food because there will be no breaks. “We're going to get through that bill and have a final vote on that bill” he said.

South Carolina Citizens for Life President Lisa Van Riper praised the Speaker’s decision to see the Fetal Heartbeat Act to the finish line this year. “South Carolina has become a southeastern destination state for the lucrative abortion industry,” she said. “At least 1,000 innocent unborn children are dying every month in South Carolina. This is a moral crisis that requires a political solution. We commend the House and Senate leadership for working to pass legislation that will save as many unborn children as possible.”

Neighboring states including Georgia and Florida have laws that protect the unborn when the heartbeat can be detected. North Carolina has a three-day waiting period. These factors are driving abortion traffic into South Carolina after the South Carolina Supreme Court struck down the 2021 Fetal Heartbeat Act in a 3-2 decision. That decision means unborn children can be killed in South Carolina up to the 20th week of life after fertilization.

The 2021 Fetal Heartbeat Act was passed before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2023. The new Fetal Heartbeat Act (S474) could withstand another court challenge by the abortion industry because it is written in the new era of abortion jurisprudence and because the South Carolina Supreme Court has a new member who could take a different view of the issues than his pro-abortion predecessor.

Pro-abortion Democrats have threatened to stall passage by offering over a thousand amendments to the life-saving bill.