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TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR HOLLY GATLING, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SOUTH CAROLINA CITIZENS FOR LIFE AND CORPORATE SECRETARY FOR THE NATIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE COMMITTEE, AND TO CONGRATULATE HER FOR TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO UNBORN CITIZENS IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
Whereas, the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina is pleased to learn that Holly Gatling will celebrate a quarter of a century of impassioned service as the executive director of South Carolina Citizens for Life; and
Whereas, Ms. Gatling earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of South Carolina in 1972 and completed some postgraduate work in government and international studies. She is now near completion of a master's degree in psychology from Divine Mercy University in Alexandria, Virginia; and
Whereas, while a student, she served as a copy editor for The State newspaper. After graduation, she served as a general assignments reporter and copy editor and on production staff from 1972 to 1973 for the now defunct Darlington County Tribune in Hartsville; and she was a news reporter covering crime, features, and general assignments for the Florence Morning News from 1973 to 1976; and
Whereas, before stepping into her current role, Ms. Gatling was a investigative reporter and feature writer from 1976 to 1990 for The State, covering legal issues, state boards, commissions, and regulatory agencies and served as the Pee Dee Bureau Chief in Florence from 1985 to 1990; and
Whereas, along with her daily responsibilities of managing the statewide pro-life office, she raises the organization's funds, lobbies the General Assembly for passage of pro-life laws, testifies before House and Senate committees, communicates state and federal legislative action alerts to statewide pro-life activists, sponsors the annual Stand Up for Life March and Rally, and manages the pro-life information booth at the annual State Fair. She also speaks on the topics of abortion, euthanasia, and infanticide to the media and in churches, schools, and civic organizations; and
Whereas, while serving as a nongovernmental organization (NGO) representative to the United Nations from 2007 to 2008 for the Treaty on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Ms. Gatling championed the rights of persons with disabilities to ensure they would not be denied life-sustaining food, water, and medical treatment; and
Whereas, she successfully lobbied the South Carolina General Assembly for passage of fifteen pro-life state laws, including the Woman's Right to Know, Abortion Clinic Regulation, Partial-Birth Abortion Ban, Physician-Assisted Suicide Ban, Safe Haven for Abandoned Newborns, and Choose Life License Plate acts; and
Whereas, in 2016, Governor Nikki Haley signed the landmark "Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act," which stops abortion on demand in South Carolina when an unborn baby has reached the age of twenty weeks. Since 1988, abortions occurring in South Carolina have declined by nearly sixty percent, saving the lives of more than one hundred fifty thousand babies; and
Whereas, among her copious professional accolades, Ms. Gatling was a three-time winner of South Carolina Press Association awards for reporting and feature writing and a 1984 recipient of the South Carolina Mental Health Association Public Service Award; and
Whereas, for the tireless work that Holly Gatling has provided to the South Carolina General Assembly, the members are deeply grateful and wish her many more years of success as she continues to champion the rights of our most vulnerable citizens, especially the unborn, the disabled, and the elderly. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, recognize and honor Holly Gatling, executive director of South Carolina Citizens for Life and corporate secretary for the National Right to Life Committee, and congratulate her for twenty-five years of outstanding service to unborn citizens in South Carolina.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Holly Gatling.
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