South Carolina Republicans Mislead on Abortion Levels in the Palmetto State

In the News
Written By Editor

South Carolina is seeing more abortions, and yet the official social media account for the South Carolina House Republicans claimed that abortions have swiftly declined.

LifeNews published an article last week analyzing official abortion statistics released by the South Carolina Department of Health. The article said there were “5,162 fewer abortions in 2024 than in 2023,” a finding concluded by noting the difference between the 8,187 clinic-based abortions reported to the state in 2023 and the 3,025 clinic-based abortions reported in 2024.

The article informed readers that “abortions occurring in South Carolina declined 63% from 2023 to 2024,” which they attributed to the “Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act,” a law that claims to ban abortion after six weeks gestation, along with rape, incest, and fetal anomaly exceptions.

South Carolina Republican Governor Henry McMaster was quoted in the article as celebrating the report, saying that “we have dedicated ourselves to protecting life in South Carolina, and now we are seeing the results of our efforts.” South Carolina Citizens for Life President Lisa Van Riper claimed that the report represents “babies saved from abortion and their moms saved from possible physical and psychological trauma associated with the procedure.”

The account for the South Carolina House Republicans shared the article, featuring a quote from Van Riper claiming that “legislation saves lives” and that “elections have consequences.” Van Riper praised the Republican leadership of the South Carolina House and the South Carolina Senate without mentioning that they failed to take any meaningful action on abortion this year.

In their article, LifeNews neglected entirely to report that the overall number of South Carolina babies aborted each year has increased after Dobbs, despite the decline in clinic-based abortions reported to the state government.

As our previous analysis shows, at least 13,646 South Carolina babies were murdered via abortion in 2024, an increase from 11,641 babies aborted in 2019. While there was indeed a decline in clinic-based abortions inside the state, that decline was superseded by a drastic increase in women traveling out-of-state for abortions and ordering abortion pills via telehealth appointments. Such telehealth abortions are provided to women in South Carolina by out-of-state clinicians operating under the protection of shield laws.

These are conservative estimates because this data does not include any of the self-induced abortions procured outside of the formal medical system.

Our analysis of self-induced abortion numbers in so-called ban states is based on data from the Society of Family Planning, as well as the monthly abortion provision study from the Guttmacher Institute.

In other words, by focusing solely on clinic-based abortions reported to the state government, LifeNews entirely failed to provide an accurate picture of child sacrifice in the Palmetto State. LifeNews has a pattern of making such misrepresentations about abortion levels across the country, especially in states where the Pro-Life establishment claims to have banned abortion.

Christians in the state of South Carolina expressed concerns with those misrepresentations, especially the fact that McMaster and the Republican leadership were celebrating a purported decline in abortion, even though the slaughter of preborn babies is on the rise.

Equal Protection South Carolina noted that the “Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act” was praised even as the statute allows women to self-induce their abortions. South Carolina Citizens for Life opposes equal protection of the laws for preborn babies, which would require all parties willfully involved in murdering preborn babies, including their mothers, to be held accountable.

South Carolina Republican State Representative Rob Harris noted that leadership in the South Carolina House likewise opposes equal protection. Harris is a primary sponsor of the South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act, which would abolish abortion and establish equal protection of the laws for preborn babies, but the legislation has not yet received a hearing.

Republican leadership has not only refused to hear the current iteration of the South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act, but also refused to consider similar proposals introduced in recent sessions.

Despite claims from Republican establishment leaders and Pro-Life lobbyists and media, overall abortion numbers have not declined in South Carolina, and child sacrifice continues to be protected by Pro-Life laws in the state. As with many other parts of the country, regulations on clinic-based abortions have not curtailed abortion, but have hastened a shift toward self-induced abortions.

Rather than celebrating false headlines from LifeNews, elected officials in South Carolina must obey God by abolishing abortion. Instead of proclaiming that victory has been achieved, Pro-Life establishment lobbyists in South Carolina must stop providing political cover for Republicans who refuse to abolish abortion and start faithfully calling legislators to do their duty under God, namely by establishing equal protection of the laws for preborn babies.

Editor
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