Equal Protection Bill Filed in South Carolina Senate for the First Time

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — South Carolina State Senator Lee Bright filed the South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act last week to abolish abortion in the Palmetto State.

S. 783 would establish equal protection of the laws for preborn babies, ensuring that the same homicide, assault, and wrongful death laws already protecting born persons are applied to preborn persons as well. The legislation is a companion bill to H. 3537, also entitled the South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act, which was filed last year by South Carolina State Representative Rob Harris and remains active.

Bright and Harris announced the legislation last week at a press conference in the South Carolina State House, calling on lawmakers to advance S. 783 in order to ensure that murdering anyone is illegal for everyone.

“These children deserve equal protection. I will be filing a bill of equal protection today,” remarked Senator Bright during the press conference. “I know we’ve got hearts and minds to change. God’s in the hearts and minds changing business.”

South Carolina abortion numbers are increasing despite the passage of new Pro-Life regulations in recent years. Beyond more than 3,400 telehealth abortions in 2024, there are also increasing amounts of travel to other states for abortions, as well as unknown numbers of self-managed abortions occurring outside of the formal medical system.

Christian grassroots conservatives in South Carolina are calling for a hearing on S. 783 so that lawmakers can seriously consider the legislation to completely abolish abortion. H. 3537 was considered last week in a hearing for the South Carolina House Constitutional Laws Subcommittee, but lawmakers have not yet voted on whether to advance the bill.

“The reason why we need another abortion law is because the ones that have been passed so far are ineffective. The reason they are ineffective is that they show impartiality,” said Representative Harris during the hearing. “Complete legal immunity for women to kill their own babies is fueling abortion numbers.”

Rather than merely regulating the circumstances of abortion, South Carolina lawmakers have the duty to establish equal protection of the laws for preborn babies. There is no other way to honor God and truly abolish abortion in the Palmetto State.