Oppose S. 323: A Total Abortion Ban in South Carolina

Members of the South Carolina Senate announced a hearing on S. 323, a bill that would ban abortion in all circumstances with no exceptions for rape, incest, or a fatal fetal diagnosis. The hearing is scheduled for October 1.

The bill also bans certain forms of birth control, places restrictions on IVF, and would force doctors to induce labor rather than provide an abortion if the pregnant person’s life is in danger. Under the bill, a person who shares any information about how to obtain a legal abortion out of state could be charged with a felony and serve 30 years in prison, and a person who has an abortion could be charged with the death penalty.

S. 323 would prohibit all forms of assistance to someone seeking an abortion, whether it be by providing someone with money to travel out of state, giving a person a phone number to call to make an appointment with a health care provider, or hosting a website with information on how to obtain a legal abortion. Under the bill, selective reduction of fertilized eggs would be prohibited during the IVF process, and all fertilized eggs must be preserved, even if determined not to be viable. S. 323 classifies abortion as homicide, subject to all available punishments, including the death penalty.

Abortion is currently banned in South Carolina after about six weeks of pregnancy, and S. 323 would effectively change current law from a 6-week abortion ban to a total abortion ban. Demand your lawmakers reject S. 323.

Issue brief from the Planned Parenthood of South Carolina.