Daily Archives: January 27, 2017

Press Release: PERSONHOOD ACT OF SOUTH CAROLINA Introduced in House and Senate

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PERSONHOOD ACT OF SOUTH CAROLINA

S.217 Introduced in SC Senate January 10, 2017

H.3530 Introduced in SC House January 19, 2017             

PRESS RELEASE

FOR RELEASE:  Friday, January 27, 2017/Revised Feb 10, 2017/Revised Feb 17, 2017

FOR FURTHER INFO:

Contact, Steve Lefemine, exec.dir., Christians for Personhood

PO Box 12222, Columbia, South Carolina  29211; CP@spiritcom.net

Press Release posted at:  http://christiansforpersonhood.com

 

[COLUMBIA, SC] The “Personhood Act of South Carolina” has been introduced once again in the South Carolina General Assembly, in both the SC Senate ( S.217 introduced January 10 ), and the SC House ( H.3530 introduced January 19 ).  The Senate bill was introduced by then-Senator Kevin Bryant, who was elevated to the position of SC Lieutenant Governor Wednesday, January 25, after former Lt Gov Henry McMaster was elevated to the office of SC Governor on January 24 ( following the SC Constitution’s order of succession ) immediately upon former SC Gov Nikki Haley’s resignation after her confirmation by the US Senate to be US Ambassador to the United Nations.  At the present time, the Senate bill ( S.217 ) has 12 Republican co-sponsors in the 46seat SC Senate, which presently has 27 Republicans and 8 Democrats.  However the House bill ( H.3530 ), introduced by Representative Steven Long, currently has 49 Republican co-sponsors in the 124-seat SC House, which presently has 78 Republicans and 44 Democrats.  Principled pro-life, pro-personhood South Carolinians are asked to visit scstatehouse.gov, contact and ask their SC Senator, especially Republicans, to sign on as co-sponsors of S.217 right away.

Personhood legislation was first introduced in the SC Legislature in 1998, and has been active every year since, over the last 19 years [ History of Personhood Legislation in South Carolina (1998 – 2016) ].  In 2005, a Personhood Act ( H.3213 ) passed the SC House, albeit with a fatal flaw “exception” amendment, before being killed in the SC Senate; and in 2016, a Personhood Constitutional Amendment ( S.719 ) passed a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee in March, and passed the full Senate Judiciary Committee in April, before being defeated on the full Senate floor in a vote for Special Order on May 11, 2016 ( 24 Senators voted Yes for Special Order, 16 Senators voted No, and 2 Senators voted Present, however a 2/3 super-majority was required by SC Senate Rules, and so even though a majority of Senators voted Yes, the motion failed.)

The “Personhood Act of SC” recognizes the Creator God-given, unalienable right to life of every human being as a “person” beginning at fertilization, in the South Carolina Code of Laws. Senate bill S.217 states:

 “The right to life for each born and preborn human being vests at fertilization.” and “The rights  guaranteed by Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution of this State [SC], that no person shall be deprived of life without due process of law nor denied the equal protection of the laws, vest at fertilization for each born and preborn human being.”  [ Section 1-1-330, S.217 ]

The State of South Carolina has the power to enact this law pursuant to the power reserved to this State under the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. [ Section 1-1-340, S.217 ]

Legal experts defending the constitutionality of States’ Personhood legislation in South Carolina (2001), and Mississippi (2009), and Alabama (2011), and Oklahoma (2012) are posted online here at: www.ChristianLifeandLiberty.net.  Go to Item #117 on the “Personhood Act” page.

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