S.111 - Right to Life Act of SC

- The RTL Act of SC is a bill to recognize the legal 'Personhood' of all pre-birth human beings, at fertilization.

- This bill would ban all legalized child-murder-by-abortion, because the SC State Constitution, in Art. I., Sec. 3., already protects legal 'persons' from being deprived of life without due process of law, and the RTL Act of SC would inarguably place all pre-birth human beings in the same protected status.

- S.111 was introduced into the SC Senate and received a First Reading on January 11, 2005.

- After the House companion bill, H.3213, passed the South Carolina House of Representatives on April 14, 2005 (albeit with a fatal flaw rape exception amendment that needs to be removed, or the bill killed), it came over to the Senate, and was assigned to a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee.

- Two public hearings were conducted (May 4 and May 18, 2005) on S.111/H.3213 by this Subcommittee, chaired by Senator Jim Ritchie (R-Spartanburg), though no votes were taken.

- This Subcommittee, chaired by Senator Jim Ritchie (R), is comprised of three Republicans and one Democrat. None of the three Republicans (Senators Jim Ritchie, Randy Scott, or Luke Rankin) are co-sponsors of Senate bill S.111 !

- Furthermore, according to the rules of the SC Senate, the Republican chairman of the full Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Glenn McConnell (R), is also permitted to cast a vote on this bill. Senator McConnell is not a co-sponsor of S.111 either.

- No action has been taken in 2006 on S.111/H.3213 since the SC Legislature came back into session in January, over three months ago.

- There are now just over 40 days remaining in the 2005-2006 SC Legislative Session. If the Right to Life Act of SC does not pass by the first week in June, then the bill would be killed for this session, and would have to start over from the beginning in January 2007.

- See the text and history of the S.111 bill below, and online at:
www.scstatehouse.net/sess116_2005-2006/bills/111.htm

- For history and updates on S.111 (and the House companion bill, H.3213), go to: http://www.righttolifeactofsc.net/ and http://www.christianlifeandliberty.net/ (click on 'RTL Act of SC' button)

- For contact information of Senators McConnell, Ritchie, Scott, and Rankin, go to:
http://www.scstatehouse.net/ (click on “Addresses” and “Bios” for Senators), or go to:
Right to Life Act of SC - mail / fax State Senators lobbying memo Feb. 16, 2006
(www.christianlifeandliberty.net/H3213-S111-108.doc)

_________________________________

South Carolina General Assembly
116th Session, 2005-2006

S. 111
STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Senators Fair, Bryant, Grooms, Thomas, Verdin, Hayes and Ryberg
Companion/Similar bill(s): 3213

Introduced in the Senate on January 11, 2005
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on Judiciary

Summary: Right to Life Act of SC

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date Body Action Description with journal page number

------------------------------------------------------------------
12/15/2004 Senate Prefiled
12/15/2004 Senate Referred to Committee on Judiciary
1/11/2005 Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-138
1/11/2005 Senate Referred to Committee on Judiciary SJ-138
2/4/2005 Senate Referred to Subcommittee: Ritchie(ch), Rankin, Lourie, Scott

A BILL

TO AMEND TITLE 1, CHAPTER 1, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNMENT, BY ADDING ARTICLE 5, SO AS TO ENACT THE "RIGHT TO LIFE ACT OF SOUTH CAROLINA" WHICH ESTABLISHES THAT THE RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS AND THE RIGHT TO EQUAL PROTECTION VEST AT FERTILIZATION.

Whereas, the General Assembly, under Article III, Section 1A of the Constitution of the State of South Carolina, 1895, is empowered to assemble to make new laws, as the common good may require; and

Whereas, Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution of the State of South Carolina, 1895, guarantees that no person may be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law or denied the equal protection of the laws; and

Whereas, the General Assembly in the exercise of its constitutional powers and in carrying out its duties and responsibilities under the law finds it necessary and proper to ensure that the rights of its citizens extend to each newly born and preborn human person. Now, therefore,

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Title 1, Chapter 1 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Article 5 Right to Life

Section 1-1-310. This article may be cited as the 'Right to Life Act of South Carolina'.

Section 1-1-320. The right to due process, whereby no person may be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, and the right to equal protection of the laws, both of which rights are guaranteed by Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution of this State, vest at fertilization."

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

----XX----

www.scstatehouse.net/sess116_2005-2006/bills/111.htm

___________________________________
___________________________________

Senators, please pass the Right to Life Act of SC, with no "exceptions", now !!!

Steve Lefemine, pro-life missionary
dir., Columbia Christians for Life
Columbia, South Carolina
www.RighttoLifeActofSC.net
http://www.christianlifeandliberty.net/ (click on 'RTL ACT of SC' button)
April 18, 2006