ANTI-ABORTION-FUNDING BUDGET AMENDMENT INTRODUCED BY
CHRISTIAN PRO-LIFE SENATOR DAVID THOMAS
PRESS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE: Thursday, April 29, 2010
FOR FURTHER INFO: Contact, Steve Lefemine, dir., Columbia Christians for Life, Columbia, SC; (803) 794-6273
www.ChristianLifeandLiberty.net, Home and “RTL Act of SC” page
[COLUMBIA] – Wednesday, April 28, 2010, the Republican-majority South Carolina Senate refused to restore a state budget amendment banning all abortion-funding for rape and incest abortions, and banning all abortion-funding for life of the mother abortions, except where the “termination of the pregnancy is incidental to the lifesaving intervention” and also stating “The physician shall act in accordance with the standard of care to preserve both [emphasis added] the life of the mother and the life of the pre-born child.”
Christian pro-life Senator David Thomas (R-Greenville) introduced and explained the amendment, then pro-abortion Senator Phil Leventis (D-Sumter) attempted to have it ruled out of order, which failed, and then pro-abortion Senator Joel Lourie (D-Richland) spoke against the amendment and then moved to table Senator Thomas’ amendment. The vote to table (defeat) the amendment passed 24 - 17:
24 “Ayes” voting in support of Tabling motion to defeat Senator Thomas’ pro-life amendment:
Republicans (12): Alexander, Campbell, Cleary, Courson, Fair, Knotts, Leatherman, Larry Martin,
McConnell, O'Dell, Peeler, Rankin
Democrats (12): Coleman, Elliott, Ford, Hutto, Land, Leventis, Lourie, Malloy, Nicholson, Scott, Setzler, Williams
17 “Nays” voting against Tabling motion to defeat Senator Thomas’ pro-life amendment:
Republicans (15): Bright, Bryant, Campsen, Cromer, Davis, Grooms, Hayes, Shane Martin, Massey,
Mulvaney, Rose, Ryberg, Shoopman, Thomas, Verdin
Democrats (2): McGill, Reese
Senator Thomas’ pro-life / anti-abortion-funding amendment was tabled. If that amendment remains tabled in the Senate version of the state budget, that means that the State Health Insurance Plan will continue to fund abortions for rape, incest, and all life of the mother abortions, in the Senate version.
However, the Republican-majority SC House of Representatives, in an hours-long overnight debate session on March 17-18, did already admirably persevere in passing the same pro-life, anti-abortion-funding amendment as the one introduced and now defeated in the SC Senate by Senator Thomas on April 28. So the abortion -funding ban remains in the House version of the budget. If the Senate does not repent of its continuation of state-funding of abortion in the SC State Health Insurance Plan before it gives final approval to the budget bill, that would set up a situation requiring resolution in a joint House-Senate Conference Committee assigned to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of the FY 2010-2011 state budget. (Proverbs 6:16,17, KJB)
FOR RELEASE: Thursday, April 29, 2010
FOR FURTHER INFO: Contact, Steve Lefemine, dir., Columbia Christians for Life, Columbia, SC; (803) 794-6273
www.ChristianLifeandLiberty.net, Home and “RTL Act of SC” page
[COLUMBIA] – Wednesday, April 28, 2010, the Republican-majority South Carolina Senate refused to restore a state budget amendment banning all abortion-funding for rape and incest abortions, and banning all abortion-funding for life of the mother abortions, except where the “termination of the pregnancy is incidental to the lifesaving intervention” and also stating “The physician shall act in accordance with the standard of care to preserve both [emphasis added] the life of the mother and the life of the pre-born child.”
Christian pro-life Senator David Thomas (R-Greenville) introduced and explained the amendment, then pro-abortion Senator Phil Leventis (D-Sumter) attempted to have it ruled out of order, which failed, and then pro-abortion Senator Joel Lourie (D-Richland) spoke against the amendment and then moved to table Senator Thomas’ amendment. The vote to table (defeat) the amendment passed 24 - 17:
24 “Ayes” voting in support of Tabling motion to defeat Senator Thomas’ pro-life amendment:
Republicans (12): Alexander, Campbell, Cleary, Courson, Fair, Knotts, Leatherman, Larry Martin,
McConnell, O'Dell, Peeler, Rankin
Democrats (12): Coleman, Elliott, Ford, Hutto, Land, Leventis, Lourie, Malloy, Nicholson, Scott, Setzler, Williams
17 “Nays” voting against Tabling motion to defeat Senator Thomas’ pro-life amendment:
Republicans (15): Bright, Bryant, Campsen, Cromer, Davis, Grooms, Hayes, Shane Martin, Massey,
Mulvaney, Rose, Ryberg, Shoopman, Thomas, Verdin
Democrats (2): McGill, Reese
Senator Thomas’ pro-life / anti-abortion-funding amendment was tabled. If that amendment remains tabled in the Senate version of the state budget, that means that the State Health Insurance Plan will continue to fund abortions for rape, incest, and all life of the mother abortions, in the Senate version.
However, the Republican-majority SC House of Representatives, in an hours-long overnight debate session on March 17-18, did already admirably persevere in passing the same pro-life, anti-abortion-funding amendment as the one introduced and now defeated in the SC Senate by Senator Thomas on April 28. So the abortion -funding ban remains in the House version of the budget. If the Senate does not repent of its continuation of state-funding of abortion in the SC State Health Insurance Plan before it gives final approval to the budget bill, that would set up a situation requiring resolution in a joint House-Senate Conference Committee assigned to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of the FY 2010-2011 state budget. (Proverbs 6:16,17, KJB)