Hearings have just been scheduled for two extremely harmful bills, H. 3537 and H. 4760, on the same day (Wednesday, January 14 at 12pm), and both pose serious threats to health, safety, and freedom in South Carolina.
H. 3537 would define "personhood" at the moment of fertilization. Under this bill, people whom officials believe harmed a fertilized egg could be charged with homicide, even facing the death penalty, for pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriage, stillbirth, or self-managed abortion.
H. 4760 would criminalize the delivery, distribution, and possession of abortion medication, turning safe, evidence-based health care into a felony offense. It would increase policing of pregnancy and medical care, restrict access to abortion pills, and push people toward unsafe or delayed care.
Together, these bills would dramatically expand surveillance, punishment, and fear around pregnancy and reproductive health care. They represent a continued effort to criminalize pregnancy and health care in our state.
These bills would:
Criminalize pregnancy outcomes and personal health decisions
Increase policing and surveillance of medical care
Cut off access to safe, evidence-based abortion medication
Delay or deny lifesaving medical treatment
Disproportionately harm people already facing barriers to care
This is not safety. This is not health care. This is not freedom.
These hearings are a critical opportunity to speak out and stop both H. 3537 and H. 4760. We urge you to attend this hearing at the statehouse on January 14, submit written or give verbal testimony, and contact your lawmakers. You can email lawmakers directly via this link, contact house judiciary at (803) 734-3120, and email written testimony to [email protected]. We believe verbal testimony will be first come, first serve for each bill, so plan to get their early and sign up for the bill(s) you want to speak on. We will keep you updated as we learn more.
Thank you for standing with WREN to protect dignity, autonomy, and access to care for everyone in South Carolina.
With urgency,
Ashley Lidow, Chief Strategy Officer
Women's Rights & Empowerment Network
