H3020 a South Carolina House of Representative Bill Sponsored by House Representative John R. McCravy (R) would prevent an abortion when a Heartbeat is detected in the fetus. https://legiscan.com/SC/bill/H3020/2019
Basically this Bill would require the physician to perform an ultrasound to detect if there is a heartbeat in the fetus prior to performing the procedure. If there is a detectable heartbeat then the physician is required to inform the patient and is prevented from performing the procedure.
Any person who fails to follow these guidelines will be fined up to $10,000 and could face up to 2 years in prison. This naturally excludes any physician that performs the procedure under medical needs, or rape and incest.
On January 14th, 2020 a Rally was held on the State House Grounds in support of this Bill. We spoke with several supports who stated children even unborn have a right to life. They pointed out that there are several methods today that can be taken to prevent pregnancy and that a child even unborn should be protected.
Some supporters stated an abortion is like an execution of an innocent person. The fetus cannot speak in its defense, and is summarily sentenced to death for not having committed any crime.
One supporter stated that ALL CHILDREN should be protected and have a voice, and if Representative McCravy really did value traditional family values why he wasn’t supporting H3295. H3295 is a Shared Parenting Bill that would give Children their rights to both parents with equal time after a divorce. https://legiscan.com/SC/bill/H3295/2019
The Opposition to H3020 states that this Bill would violate Constitutional protected rights limit personal freedoms, by forcing persons to carry a child to term, regardless of their circumstances and this bill would increase the difficulty for many South Carolinians to gain access to health care.
They also claim that if this bill passes the number of abortions would not decrease, but it would force women to go to the old ways of back room practitioners, increasing the risk to the mother. They also claim that it would create a fear in women who seek this procedure of criminal prosecution thereby arising in a potential for not making clear medical judgments.
One legal question that came up was what about the Father’s Rights? Several men who were at this Rally on January 14th, 2020 also asked if a father would have any say in the matter. As this Bill does not cover that aspect. One young man spoke to us telling us of how his girlfriend became pregnant and didn’t even inform him of it prior to her electing the procedure.
This writer has spoken with several individuals who elected the procedure and those who opted against it. Both sides stated the emotional toll it took on them and their loved ones. Some regret their decisions, while others feel it was the right decision for them. Some of the parents who opted against the procedure told us that they struggled emotionally during their whole pregnancy but the moment they held their child in their arms they knew they had made the right decision.
As the subject of Abortions has and more than likely always will be a very delicate subject, we can say with assuredly that the subject is coming to light more openly. Some Pro Lifer’s do not feel this Bill is a true Pro Life Bill, due to the fact that it does not prevent the abortion but simply limits when an abortion can be done.
Here are some facts about Abortions in South Carolina:
In 2018, 4,646 abortions were reported in South Carolina, down nine percent from the previous year and down 24 percent from 2012 (Fig. 1). 2018 marked the second year South Carolina reported the types of abortion procedures used in the state. There were 2,580 chemical abortions in 2018, a drop of 13 percent from the 2,949 reported the year before. Chemical abortions made up 56 percent of all abortions reported in South Carolina in 2018. CLI estimates that South Carolina’s abortion rate fell from 5.3 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age in 2017 to 4.8 in 2018 (Fig. 2). Planned Parenthood performed 55 percent of the abortions reported in South Carolina in 2018. https://lozierinstitute.org/abortion-reporting-south-carolina-2018/
We reached out to Representative McCravy per email for comment but at the time of publication we did not receive a reply.