On Wednesday, Oct. 1, the South Carolina Medical Affairs subcommittee met at 9:30 a.m. on State House grounds to discuss the future of Senate Bill 323. The bill calls for a full ban on abortion, with no rape or incest exceptions, and criminal action against doctors and other persons involved in a violation of those restrictions. The bill also calls for new additions to sex education in schools and may even affect birth control and contraception rights. The date for the official vote on the bill has not been announced, but according to SC Public Radio, Sen. Cash, the chairman of the subcommittee, said he hopes to hold another hearing after this Wednesday without public testimony taken.
Hundreds of citizens rallied around the state capitol hours before the hearing, bringing signs, resources and amplified voices in common interest: the future of abortion rights in our state.
"It's hard for a lot of people to come out here,” said Leilani Munter, a North Carolina resident and frequent abortion rights rallyist. “Some of them have gotten on buses and traveled hours to get here to protest. It shows that people are concerned enough to take time out of their daily lives to come here and have their voices heard.”
Out of the hundreds of people on the testimony list, only 75 were chosen to speak and were allotted two minutes each.
“Testifying is a way that you can voice your opinion as a civilian to politicians,” said Erin Rowland, a freshman at USC, who planned on testifying but was rejected due to her number on the sign-up list. Rowland instead spoke at a campus meeting for the Generation Action club, a Planned Parenthood affiliate, later that evening. Planned Parenthood also held a "Stop the Ban" rally on the State House steps to share declarations from pro-choice protesters.
Other citizens waited in line for the chance to sit in on the hearing. Dr. Martha Edwards, the president of the South Carolina chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, was there in the hopes of sharing her perspective.
“We’re concerned about the effects this will have on both the pregnant children, mothers and their infants," Edwards said. "None of us have lost all that sleep, stayed up all night, sacrificed time with our own families in order to hurt unborn babies. We certainly want to do the best we can, but we don't want them to put our patients at risk."
This is not the state government’s first debate over implementing stricter abortion regulations. Previously, South Carolina had a 20-week ban. In 2023, the state enacted its current six-week ban. In the same year, several bills were also proposed with stricter bans, similar to Bill 323.
“The bill is another effort, which we’ve seen multiple times, to essentially eliminate all abortions in the state,” said Michael Burgess, a teacher at River Bluff High School's Center for Law and Global Policy Development in Lexington, SC.
Burgess later explained that the proposal for a full ban in 2023 was ultimately halted due to the efforts of a group of female legislators who became known as the Sister Senators. Sens. Katrina Shealy (R-Lexington), Sandy Senn (R-Charleston), Penry Gustafson (R-Kershaw), Margie Bright Matthews (D-Colleton) and Mia McLeod (I-Richland) all agreed that a full ban was not what they stood for, regardless of their political affiliations. Shealy, who spearheaded this endeavor before ending her term in 2024, reflected on their actions.
“Everybody has to make that own decision in their mind, in their heart as to what's right," Shealy said. "We all had a different idea, but we knew what people like Sen. Cash and Sen. Garrett, what they're pushing, was not what we believed in.”
Shealy was among those who testified on Wednesday before the committee, but was cut off, despite her former political status.
"I don't expect special treatment, but the fact that I'm a former senator, I should have been able to finish my sentence without being interrupted," she said. "I mean, anybody should be able to finish their sentence.”
Among the protesters, the LGBTQ+ community was also greatly represented. Cristina Picozzi, the executive director of the Harriet Hancock Center, handed out coffee to protesters. The center focuses on creating a space for resources, advocacy, and connection, while also staying active and up-to-date on current issues that impact the LGBTQ+ community.
"We're here to support our partners that do reproductive justice and also remind folks that reproductive healthcare access is also a queer issue,” Picozzi said.
Although most of the citizens gathered were against the bill, some were there to push for stricter guidelines. Steve Lefemine, a frequent protester, said he wants to reach out to pro-life Christians and change the language of the bill to establish “personhood at fertilization in law with no exceptions.” He highlighted those phrases in a pamphlet he distributed at the demonstration.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District of South Carolina, Lefemine was previously sentenced and fined for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinics Act in 2024 when he blocked the entrance to the Columbia Office of Planned Parenthood. Lefemine was also denied the chance to speak within the hearing because of the number of testimonies allowed.
This hearing is the first process in a long line of discussions and rewrites.
“We cannot make any action on this bill as a body from an elected perspective until January, because January is when session starts back," said District 79 Richland County Rep. Hamilton Grant.
"Rallies are good, but they don't move policy," Grant said. "What moves policy are votes."
Although public testimony is complete, Sen. Shealy is still optimistic that South Carolina will be able to come together and find common ground.
"I didn't feel hope in that room. I feel hope in my heart," Shealy said. " I think it's time that we wake up, we all go get a fresh cup of coffee, and do it right.”
