COLUMBIA, S.C. (Tuesday, March 4, 2025) – After nearly three hours of testimony a S.C. House Judiciary Subcommittee adjourned without taking action on the Human Life Protection Act (H 3457), a bill that would protect unborn children from abortion on demand at diagnosable pregnancy.
Constitutional Laws Subcommittee Chairman Wallace “Jay” Jordan, R-Florence, encouraged those present who were unable to
testify to submit written comments to the subcommittee. He made it clear early in the hearing that the subcommittee of five House members did not intend to cast a vote Tuesday.
The last person to testify was pro-life physician Peter Bleyer, M.D., a retired family practice physician from Little River, S.C. “My patients are human beings created by God and are to be cared for
accordingly,” he said. “The Human Life Protection Act properly and specifically intervenes in my profession, addressing the unique obstetric doctor-patient relationship, in which the physician has a moral obligation to care for two patients simultaneously.”
After the hearing, Dr. Bleyer commented on the testimony of pro-abortion doctors and others who spoke against the Human Life
Protection Act. “They didn’t present logical arguments you could follow,” he said. “I didn’t hear persuasive arguments about what was so bad about the bill. My testimony was aimed at the average citizens with normal intelligence.”
While South Carolina Citizens for Life was registered to testify, time ran out; however, the written testimony of numerous pro-life health care
professionals, pregnancy care advocates, and others who support the Human Life Protection Act has been submitted for the subcommittee’s review.
This is the second time the S.C. House has considered the Human Life Protection Act. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, the House passed the Human Life Protection Act on February 15, 2023, by an overwhelming vote of
83-31. The Senate then took up the bill and passed an amended version on second reading. The bill was then filibustered on third reading and did not receive final Senate passage.
In a letter to the subcommittee members, South Carolina Citizens for Life President Lisa Van Riper clearly stated the organizations position. “South Carolina Citizens for Life is not asking the House of
Representatives to start over with the Human Life Protection Act, but rather to give the Senate the opportunity to pick up where it paused in 2023.”
No date was set Tuesday for the subcommittee to continue taking testimony or to vote on the bill.
Currently unborn children in South Carolina are protected from abortion when the fetal heartbeat can be detected which is usually at six weeks or earlier. The South Carolina Supreme Court is considering a lawsuit by Planned Parenthood to extend the time to nine weeks. The Court heard arguments on February 12, 2025, but declined Planned Parenthood’s request to suspend the Fetal Heartbeat law while the five justices decide the case.
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