South Carolina General Assembly
122nd Session, 2017-2018

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H. 3548

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Bennett, Delleney, Yow, Stringer, Hardee, Erickson, Long, Fry, Daning, S. Rivers, Davis, Allison, Hill, Crosby, B. Newton, McCoy, West, McCravy, Tallon, Elliott, Henderson, V.S. Moss, G.R. Smith, Pope, Toole, Huggins, Hamilton, Bedingfield, Atwater, Ballentine, Willis, Simrill and Lowe
Document Path: l:\council\bills\cc\15063vr17.docx

Introduced in the House on January 24, 2017
Introduced in the Senate on April 4, 2017
Last Amended on May 3, 2018
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on Medical Affairs

Summary: SC Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1/24/2017  House   Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 25)
   1/24/2017  House   Referred to Committee on Judiciary 
                        (House Journal-page 25)
   1/25/2017  House   Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Elliott, 
                        Henderson
   1/26/2017  House   Member(s) request name added as sponsor: V.S.Moss
   3/22/2017  House   Member(s) request name added as sponsor: G.R.Smith
   3/22/2017  House   Committee report: Favorable with amendment Judiciary 
                        (House Journal-page 45)
   3/23/2017  House   Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Pope, Toole
   3/27/2017  House   Requests for debate-Rep(s). Bennett, Delleney, Yow, 
                        Stringer, Hardee, Erickson, Long, Fry, Daning, S 
                        Rivers, Davis, Allison, Hill, Crosby, B Newton, McCoy, 
                        West, McCravy, Tallon, Elliott, Henderson, VS Moss, GR 
                        Smith, Pope, Toole (House Journal-page 40)
   3/28/2017  House   Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Huggins, 
                        Hamilton, Bedingfield
   3/29/2017  House   Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Atwater, 
                        Ballentine, Willis, Simrill, Lowe
   3/29/2017  House   Amended (House Journal-page 83)
   3/29/2017  House   Read second time (House Journal-page 83)
   3/29/2017  House   Roll call Yeas-89  Nays-17 (House Journal-page 100)
   3/30/2017  House   Read third time and sent to Senate 
                        (House Journal-page 57)
   3/30/2017  House   Roll call Yeas-83  Nays-17 (House Journal-page 57)
   3/30/2017          Scrivener's error corrected
    4/4/2017  Senate  Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 8)
    4/4/2017  Senate  Referred to Committee on Medical Affairs 
                        (Senate Journal-page 8)
    3/1/2018  Senate  Committee report: Favorable Medical Affairs 
                        (Senate Journal-page 12)
   4/25/2018  Senate  Motion For Special Order Failed (Senate Journal-page 44)
   4/25/2018  Senate  Roll call Ayes-26  Nays-18 (Senate Journal-page 44)
   4/26/2018  Senate  Special order, set for April 26, 2018 
                        (Senate Journal-page 51)
    5/1/2018  Senate  Debate interrupted (Senate Journal-page 88)
    5/2/2018  Senate  Amended (Senate Journal-page 56)
    5/2/2018  Senate  Read second time (Senate Journal-page 56)
    5/2/2018  Senate  Roll call Ayes-28  Nays-10 (Senate Journal-page 56)
    5/3/2018          Scrivener's error corrected
    5/3/2018  Senate  Amended (Senate Journal-page 12)
    5/3/2018  Senate  Roll call Ayes-31  Nays-11 (Senate Journal-page 12)
    5/3/2018  Senate  Recommitted to Committee on Medical Affairs 
                        (Senate Journal-page 12)
    5/3/2018  Senate  Roll call Ayes-24  Nays-21 (Senate Journal-page 12)

View the latest legislative information at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

1/24/2017
3/22/2017
3/29/2017
3/30/2017
3/1/2018
5/2/2018
5/3/2018
5/3/2018-A

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

AMENDED

May 3, 2018

H. 3548

Introduced by Reps. Bennett, Delleney, Yow, Stringer, Hardee, Erickson, Long, Fry, Daning, S. Rivers, Davis, Allison, Hill, Crosby, B. Newton, McCoy, West, McCravy, Tallon, Elliott, Henderson, V.S. Moss, G.R. Smith, Pope, Toole, Huggins, Hamilton, Bedingfield, Atwater, Ballentine, Willis, Simrill and Lowe

S. Printed 5/3/18--S.

Read the first time April 4, 2017.

            

A BILL

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, TO ENACT THE "SOUTH CAROLINA UNBORN CHILD PROTECTION FROM DISMEMBERMENT ABORTION ACT" BY ADDING ARTICLE 6 TO CHAPTER 41, TITLE 44 SO AS TO PROHIBIT DISMEMBERMENT ABORTIONS, WITH EXCEPTIONS, AND TO DEFINE RELEVANT TERMS; TO PROVIDE FOR INJUNCTIVE RELIEF AND CIVIL REMEDIES TO ENFORCE THE PROVISIONS OF THE ARTICLE; TO CREATE CRIMINAL PENALTIES; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

Amend Title To Conform

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

SECTION    1.    Chapter 41, Title 44 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Article 6

South Carolina Unborn Child Protection from Abortion Act

Section 44-41-610.    (A)    This article may be cited as the 'South Carolina Unborn Child Protection from Abortion Act.'

(B)    It is unlawful for a physician to knowingly perform or attempt to perform an abortion and thereby kill an unborn child unless the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest or the abortion is necessary to prevent serious health risk to the unborn child's mother.

(C)    As used in this section:

(1)    'Abortion' means the use of an instrument, medicine, drug, or other substance or device with the intent to terminate the pregnancy of a woman known to be pregnant for reasons other than to increase the probability of a live birth, to preserve the life or health of the child after live birth, or to remove a dead fetus.

(2)    'Physician' means a physician, surgeon, or osteopath authorized to practice medicine in this State and licensed pursuant to Chapter 47, Title 40. However, an individual who is not a physician but who directly and knowingly performs an abortion is also subject to the provisions of this section.

(3)    'Pregnancy' means the condition of a woman carrying a fetus or embryo within her body as the result of conception.

(4)    'Serious health risk to the unborn child's mother' means that, in reasonable medical judgment, a mother has a condition that so complicates her medical condition that it necessitates the abortion of her pregnancy to avert her death or to avert serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function, not including psychological or emotional conditions. No such condition may be determined to exist if it is based on a claim or diagnosis that the woman will engage in conduct that she intends to result in her death or in substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.

Section 44-41-620.    Nothing in this article shall be construed as creating or recognizing a right to abortion, nor a right to a particular method of abortion."

SECTION    2.    If any section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, clause, phrase, or word of this act is for any reason held to be unconstitutional or invalid, such holding shall not affect the constitutionality or validity of the remaining portions of this act, the General Assembly hereby declaring that it would have passed this act and each and every section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, clause, phrase, and word thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more other sections, subsections, paragraphs, subparagraphs, sentences, clauses, phrases, or words hereof may be declared to be unconstitutional, invalid, or otherwise ineffective.

SECTION    3.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on May 4, 2018 at 9:59 AM