Today, Tuesday, November 8, everyone is focused on the 2022 midterms.  Hopefully, if you are reading this you have already voted.  If not, polls are open in South Carolina from 7:00am to 7:00pm.  Please fulfill the call to be a good citizen of this world while voting based on the biblical values that come from being a citizen of God’s Kingdom. 

Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 9 will be the last chance for the South Carolina Legislature to pass a version of H5399.  H5399 began in the House as a bill that would protect life beginning at conception with the only exception being the life of the mother.  It has been through the House, then to the Senate, then back to the House, back to the Senate, and it now resides in a Conference Committee made up of three Senators and three House members. 

The Conference Committee met last Tuesday, November 1^st, and they were unable to reach a compromise.  Proposals were submitted by Senator Richard Cash and by Rep. John McCravy.  Although the proposals differ based on the amendments that were included from both the House and the Senate versions of the bill, both proposals protect life beginning at conception. 

I am asking everyone who reads this to contact your State Senator (if your State Senator is a Republican) and ask them to do three things:

1.  Attend the special S.C. Senate session on Wednesday, November 9.

2.  Support the Conference Report if it protects life beginning at conception.

3.  Vote for cloture to shut down any filibuster that would derail this legislation. 

This is the last opportunity we have to pass some version of H5399.  If this legislation fails, we will be back to abortions being legal up to 20 weeks.  Right now, DHEC says we are having 115 abortions per week in South Carolina.  If the state Supreme Court overturns the Heartbeat law, South Carolina will become a destination state for abortions.  That is unthinkable at any time but particularly now when you consider this could happen in the year Roe v. Wade is overturned. If you don’t know the name or contact information for your state senator you can find it by clicking on the link below and select “Senate, and then “Members.”

Remember to be considerate and polite when you communicate with your Senator.  Thank them in advance for attending the session.  If we are following Jesus, we must commit ourselves to always “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15).

He must increase, I must decrease

Dr. Tony Beam

Director of the Office of Public Policy