Unnamed Students for Life delivered “backbones” to SC Senators imploring them to “grow a spine” and do what’s right. SC conservatives around the state called on Republican Senators to follow the Biblical principle and the Republican Party platform of protecting life in H3774, the “Human Life Protection Act” sent over from the House. Photo supplied by Students for Life.
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It takes thick skin, talent, and wit to run for public office and hold a role that directly impacts the lives of thousands of constituents––born and preborn––but not everybody is cut out for the job. When South Carolina
Last fall, South Carolina’s pro-life champions in the State House passed the Life at Conception Act but when the bill came to the Senate, Republicans collapsed under pressure from the mean and extreme abortion lobby and killed the bill. SFLAction was clearly disappointed that Senate Republicans who run on the pro-life platform failed to protect life in law and service.
When returning to the legislative session this Spring, SFLAction warned elected officials that it was time to get it right and pass life-saving legislation in the face of South Carolina’s rising abortion statistics given the state’s 20-week limit.
But SFLAction’s political strategy is anything but safe. Afterall, we have to react in a gritty and rapid way to combat lies from the abortion lobby that garners all too much media attention.
Heading into the 2023 legislative session, SFLAction created a targeted list of South Carolina Senate Republicans who needed to be reminded that they should vote with a backbone. Since then, our grassroots team began delivering plastic models of spines to Senators who previously killed the Life at Conception Act.
It is unfair for a politician to promise a pro-life platform to voters, then when given the opportunity such as South Carolina and Nebraska
When faced with accountability from their voters as the Human Life Protection Act again passed the House and made way to the Senate, spines in hand, we saw half a dozen of Members flabbergasted that their pro-life constituents expected them to vote to save future South Carolinians.
In fact, State Senator Sandy Senn said the following about SFLAction’s spines:
“Lobbying for a cause means talking to people, sitting down and having a good conversation. It doesn’t mean insulting them, it doesn’t mean threatening them. But what I have decided is this [spine] confirmed my previous vote because if this [spine] is the way you lobby, you don’t know what you’re doing. You shouldn’t be making decisions for me or anybody else.”
Sitting down and talking with legislators is great! It’s a core part of what we do. That’s why SFLAction made 148,905 phone calls and sent 123,876 text messages in support of the Life at Conception Act in the fall before Senators such as Sandy Senn killed the bill.
In addition, Senator Senn and her colleagues should know SFLAction held multiple rallies and lobby days while canvassing in South Carolina and only returned this Spring to the Capitol with spines after additional rounds of lobbying – AKA sitting down and talking with people.
Perhaps Senator Senn has SFLAction confused with the violent abortion activists because nothing about our vast lobbying efforts were threatening nor insulting as she falsely claims. But Senator Senn made her point clear: she was going to vote just as she did in the fall and block life-saving legislation, but this time, SFLAction’s spine was to blame.
In reality, Senator Senn is being disingenuous in suggesting that spines solidified her vote when she didn’t favor South Carolina’s Heartbeat Abortion Prevention Act either. Yet she’s made the rounds in the media calling herself pro-life but voting against these measures. Perhaps Representative Nancy Mace is a figure she looks up to.
Make no mistake, the Pro-Life Generation sees right through the false promises of leaders like these who claim to be pro-life and quickly dismiss any bill in a Post-Roe America. South
Firmly standing for protection for the least of these is a worthy fight. We’re only asking that they would engage in fairly affording all of their constituents the most basic human right––the right to life––guaranteed in our Constitution, but at a minimum should be upheld when a baby’s heart begins beating.
As comedian Roy Wood Jr. said plainly during the recent White House Correspondents Dinner:
“Everybody knows how you do politics; this is America. We don’t pass laws; you make a promise to voters and then you don’t do it. That’s what the great leaders in this room understand. You know how to make things not happen.”
While The Daily Show Correspondent made the humorous statement following a critique of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ signing of “every controversial bill,” Wood’s comments remain true for many in the pro-life party. It is unfair for a politician to promise a pro-life platform to voters, then when given the opportunity such as South Carolina and Nebraska
Why? Because mainstream media tells them life isn’t a winning issue.
They should instead look to Florida, and other states such as Wyoming, where backbones were needed to fight for life-saving bills to become law. It’s disappointing to see some South Carolina Senators not only vote against life-saving legislation, but ridicule students of the Pro-Life Generation claiming they’re repugnant as they exercise their right to lobby elected representatives.
SFLAction is planning for a long road ahead as the same Republicans who mocked our lobbying efforts will likely look for the endorsement of the largest voting bloc––Gen Z and Millennials––who make up SFLAction’s 50 state 1,400 college campus base come election season.
While primary engagement will be at the top of SFLAction’s plans in response to votes in South Carolina and Nebraska, we’re looking at continuing our education and outreach over the summer and calling out the bad votes of “pro-lifers.”
Life is a winning issue, the GOP should start to act like it.
Dana Stancavage is the Press Specialist & Online Editor at Students for Life Action. Before moving to Florida, Stancavage worked in political communication in Washington, D.C. and has had articles appear in Townhall, the Daily Caller, and other conservative publications.
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