STALEMATE: SC lawmakers fail to compromise on abortion ban bill during special session

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — After the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling, abortion rights were left in the hands of the states.

This summer and fall, lawmakers in South Carolina have been debating whether to put a new abortion ban bill into law.

As of right now, abortion in South Carolina is legal up to 20 weeks into a pregnancy. Many Republican lawmakers were hoping to ban abortion from the point of conception, however they left the statehouse this afternoon with a sense of disappointment. 

“You got amateurs over there playing legislative strategy but they don’t know what they’re doing,” said Senate majority leader Shane Massey about his colleagues in the House.

“I agree it’s amateur hour but it occurred in the Senate. I’m confused about what’s going on,” said speaker of the house Murrell Smith.

Wednesday morning, a conference committee of three representatives and three senators met to discuss differences between the House and Senate version of an abortion ban bill. 

“The versions were wildly different which is what made a conference committee compromise more difficult than usual,” said Sen. Richard Cash, a Republican from Anderson who was on the conference committee.

Supporters of the Abortion Ban Bill in the House claimed that the Senate version was basically the same as the Fetal Heartbeat Bill, which bans abortions after 6 weeks of pregnancy.

“I think what we’re doing is a cover up and a show,” Smith said. “They’re giving excuses for why they don’t adhere to their Republican platform and stand up for life.”

After a compromise bill proposed by Senator Richard Cash was tabled, Senate majority leader Shane Massey tried to call the conference committee back to continue to discuss the issue.

“The House members decided to go home,” Massey said on the Senate floor. “If they put us in that position, I don’t know what else to do.”

“Representative McCravy had an unavoidable conflict. He told them that this morning,” Smith said. “We had to get done by noon so he could get to his commitment in Greenwood. They played this game of trying to schedule something after we couldn’t meet.”

Since there were no House members present to hold a conference committee meeting, Senator Massey suggested that the Senate adjourn for the year. 

“I regret that we weren’t able to do something but I also regret wasting all your time,” Massey said. “I was really hopeful that we were going to pass something that would save lives. It wasn’t a touchdown… but it was a first down.”

By a 22 to 20 vote, the Senate adjourned, ultimately killing the bill.

However, the House speaker hinted at an abortion ban bill being discussed again in the next legislative session. 

“If any abortion bill is going to become law, it has to get the support of the Senate,” Smith said. “The ball’s in the Senate’s court.”

The Fetal Heartbeat Bill, an abortion ban after 6 weeks, has already been signed into law by the governor. 

However, the South Carolina Supreme Court blocked the law and has yet to rule if the bill infringes upon Palmetto State residents’ right to privacy.