21 S.C. House Members Consider Death Penalty for Abortion

Observer Reports

Twenty-one members of the South Carolina House, including two from Anderson County, are considering a bill that could include the death penalty for a woman who opts for an abortion in the state.

The “South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act of 2023” aims to amend state law to to include a fertilized egg at the point of conception redefined as a “person”, affording “equal protection under the homicide laws of the state,” which includes  the death penalty.   

The bill was authored by a group which includes Rep. Rob Harris, R-Spartanburg, a registered nurse and member of the South Carolina Freedom Caucus; and  has attracted 21 co-sponsors, including Rep. April Cromer, R-Anderson and Rep. Thomas Beach, R-Anderson.  

Other Republicans in the state expressed dismay at the the proposal.

“To see this debate go to the dark places, the dark edges, where it has gone on both sides of the aisle, has been deeply disturbing to me as a woman, as a female legislator, as a mom, and as a victim of rape,” said U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.. “I was raped as a teenager at the age of 16,” Mace said. “This debate ought to be a bipartisan debate where we balance the rights of women and we balance the right to life. But we aren’t having that conversation here in D.C. We aren’t having that conversation at home. We aren’t having that conversation with fellow state lawmakers.”  

South Carolina revived the electric chair and firing squads in 2121 as methods to kill inmates convicted of capital crimes.

Abortion is currently legal in South Carolina up to 21 weeks and 6 days; a 2021 ban outlawing abortion at six weeks was struck down by the state’s Supreme Court in January.