Reversing course on a measure that proposes applying the state’s homicide laws to people who undergo abortions, nine South Carolina Republicans who had previously co-sponsored one of the most stringent anti-abortion proposals in the country have since withdrawn their support. The bill in question would have proposed applying the state’s homicide laws to people who have abortions.
Since its debut in January, the piece of legislation has had a total of 24 co-sponsors, all of whom are Republicans. However, in the most recent few weeks, the legislation has lost the support of nine of those co-sponsors. Late in the month of February, Representatives Kathy Landing and Matt Leber were the first to withdraw their support.
Leber, who was also one of the first Republicans to back the idea in January, shared with NBC News that he came to the conclusion that he couldn’t support the bill in its current form after realizing that the bill had no chance of being passed into law. According to Leber, ” We are unable to maintain my name on it in its present configuration.” “That has never been my stance when it comes to pro-life issues, and it is not something that I would ever want to do,” she said.
Although the bill has been sent to the Judiciary Committee of the state House, it has not yet been reviewed by the committee. According to Leber, party officials made it abundantly apparent that “the bill was dead on arrival” and would never make it to the floor of the House. It was always my aim to suggest some changes. Make it presentable, “he replied. “we want to be very clear that the language that is now being proposed for this measure is not something that I support.”
Beginning in March, the bill started to receive more attention on a national level. And at that point, further people started to withdraw their support. Rep. David Vaughan, along with Reps. Fawn Pedalino, Brian Lawson, Randy Ligon, and Patrick Haddon, withdrew his support for the legislation on Monday, less than two weeks after inserting his name as a sponsor of the measure.