The vote on a South Carolina bill that severely restricts abortion in the state grew heated on Wednesday, when nearly all House Democrats withdrew in protest against the extremely controversial legislation.
The bill, which Republicans voted to move forward after eliminating more than 100 proposed amendments, would prohibit doctors from having an abortion on a patient if they detected “fetal heartbeat” – a highly misleading phrase that anti-abortion activists have used in recent years. Doctors would be required to check this indicator and would only be allowed to proceed with abortion if the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest or if it was putting the mother’s life in danger.
“The Democratic caucus is not going to participate in this fake-life voting hoax,” said state deputy Todd Rutherford before removing almost all of his 42 Democratic colleagues from the chamber. His Republican colleagues, he accused, are hypocritical for neglecting real threats to human life during the COVID-19 pandemic and an ongoing opioid crisis.
“One of the speakers yesterday said that 8,000 people died in this state because of COVID-19. And still in this same body, we serve with people who believe that the government should not make people wear masks, ”said Rutherford.
The fact that people with disabilities needed to go to parliament to defend their cause to receive vaccines against the coronavirus is like the “modern Hunger Games,” he added, referring to the dystopian series.
A total ban on abortion has not been passed in the South Carolina Senate for years, but Republicans won three seats in that chamber in last year’s election and had enough power to push it into a vote in both houses. House Democrats who abandoned the vote on Wednesday would not have the power to prevent the bill from moving forward in their House, which is also controlled by a Republican majority.
Some Democrats were left behind, including Congresswoman Kimberly Johnson.
“If we are going to abandon all causes just because Republicans have the numbers, there is no need to drive to Columbia every day,” she said during her turn to speak.
After a final procedural vote in the House, the legislation will go to Governor Henry McMaster (R), who must sign it as law. However, long-range legislation will almost certainly be challenged in court and will not be able to enter into force on time.
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