Republican-Majority South Carolina Senate Rejects Opportunity to Advance Personhood Bill by 24-18 vote; Abandons Pre-Born Children

OVER 40% (12 out of 27) OF SC SENATE REPUBLICANS VOTED AGAINST RECALL EFFORT LED BY CHRISTIAN PRO-LIFE SENATOR LEE BRIGHT

PRESS RELEASE

FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, April 13, 2010

FOR FURTHER INFO: Contact, Steve Lefemine, dir., Columbia Christians for Life, Columbia, SC; (803) 794-6273
http://www.christianlifeandliberty.net/ , Home and “RTL Act of SC” page


[COLUMBIA] – For the first time in the 12 years since personhood legislation was first introduced in the South Carolina Senate in 1998, a vote regarding the legislation occurred on the floor of the SC Senate today, April 13. Primary sponsor, Christian pro-life Senator Lee Bright (R-Spartanburg) moved to Recall the Personhood Bill, S.450, from Senator Glenn McConnell’s (R-Charleston) Judiciary Committee, where it has been intentionally blocked by McConnell’s hand-picked Judiciary Subcommittee chairman Senator Jake Knotts (Lexington). Senator Knotts has refused to even hold a public hearing on the bill. After a period of debate on Senator Bright’s Recall motion today, an opposing motion to Table the Recall motion was proposed, which passed 24 -18, thereby killing Senator Bright’s valiant effort to Recall S.450 from McConnell’s / Knotts’ Committees.

The Personhood Bill (S.450) has been blocked by McConnell and Knotts despite the dual facts that: 1) 50% of the SC Senate (23 of 46 members – 19 R’s, 4 D’s) is co-sponsoring the bill; and 2) 50% of Senator Knotts’ Judiciary Subcommittee (three of six members) is co-sponsoring the bill. The SC Senate has 27 Republicans, 19 Democrats.

After Senator Bright moved to Recall the Personhood Bill from McConnell’s Judiciary Committee, Senator McConnell went to the Senate podium to speak against the bill, arguing (erroneously) that the bill is unconstitutional [ Note: U.S. Supreme Court decisions are NOT the law of the land, the U.S. Constitution is – Article VI., Sec. 2., U.S. Constitution; it is Roe v. Wade which is unconstitutional ]. Senator Bright then spoke at the podium in support of his bill, Senator Knotts spoke against the bill, Senator Larry Grooms (R-Berkeley) spoke in support of the bill, Senator Chip Campsen (R-Charleston) spoke against the bill, and Senator Phil Leventis (D-Sumter) spoke against the bill. Pro-Abortion Senator Brad Hutto (D-Orangeburg) then moved to Table the Recall motion, with results as follows:

24 “Ayes” voting in support of Tabling motion to kill Recall [ KILL PERSONHOOD ] effort:
Republicans (12): Alexander, Campbell, Campsen, Cleary, Courson, Cromer, Knotts, Leatherman, Larry Martin, McConnell, O'Dell, Peeler
Democrats (12): Anderson, Coleman, Elliott, Hutto, Land, Leventis, Lourie, Malloy, Nicholson, Pinckney, Scott, Setzler

18 “Nays” voting against Tabling motion to kill Recall [ KILL PERSONHOOD ] effort:
Republicans (14): Bright, Bryant, Davis, Fair, Grooms, Hayes, Shane Martin, Massey, Mulvaney, Rose, Ryberg, Shoopman, Thomas, Verdin
Democrats (4): Jackson, McGill, Reese, Williams

The motion to Recall the Bill was tabled, the Personhood Bill was killed for 2010, and 7,000+ Pre-born Children each year will continue to be destroyed in their mother’s wombs in South Carolina, with the help of several professing “pro-life”, professing “Christian”, professing “Republican” SC State Senators.

The SC Personhood Bill (S.450 / H.3526) is constitutional, and meets the express requirement set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade (1973), that “If … personhood is established, … the fetus’ [ pre-born child’s ] right to life would then be guaranteed specifically by the [ 14th ] Amendment.”

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