The Spartanburg County Democratic Party denounces the decision issued June 24, 2022 by the United States Supreme Court on the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, overturning Roe v Wade and eliminating the constitutional right to abortion.
Abortion is health care, and legal access to abortion is now in the hands of state lawmakers. We must rise up to vote lawmakers into office who will protect the rights of South Carolinians.
“Make no mistake, this decision will impact everyone in our state,” said Kathryn Harvey, Chair of the Spartanburg County Democratic Party. “It is most concerning the impact it will have on our communities of color, our LGBTQIA+ communities, our rural communities and others who already lack access to adequate healthcare in South Carolina. North Carolina may be the only accessible state when bans go into effect in South Carolina, and even that could be compromised. This is deeply, deeply personal for me.“
Governor McMaster has already filed a motion to put the six week abortion ban into effect as soon as possible, but an outright abortion ban is poised to be approved when the General Assembly reconvenes between July and November, 2022.
Spartanburg is fortunate to have representation in the fight.
Spartanburg County Democratic Party Executive Committeewoman and House District 31 Representative Rosalyn-Henderson Myers is among the 12 House members (7 Republicans, 5 Democrats) appointed by Speaker Smith to the ad hoc committee that will "study and receive public testimony on the impact of this matter in South Carolina." With this study and testimony, the committee will consider language that will be included in H.5399, a bill that was introduced as the placeholder for whatever action they may want to take starting as early as next month.
‘I was selected (to the committee) to give some diversity for my pro-choice stance," Henderson-Myers said. "I am going to use that as a sounding board to speak to the rights of women, and that women ought to do what they want with their bodies as they choose.’
Our state has some of the worst reproductive health outcomes in the country, and the majority of South Carolinians do not want lawmakers to interfere with their personal decisions about pregnancy and parenting. So, we must vote them out.
You have an opportunity to choose your democratic candidate for US State Senate in the June 28 Primary Runoff, and showing up to the ballot box on November 8 in the state of South Carolina has never been more important. Our Democratic Candidate for Governor, Joe Cunningham, has already committed to vetoing the ban once he’s in office.
There are also immediate opportunities to support statewide advocacy efforts through the Women’s Rights & Network (WREN), a nonpartisan, nonprofit with the mission to build a movement to advance the health, economic well-being, and rights of women, girls, gender expansive people, and their families. Organize for outreach efforts, donate and tell your legislators to support S.1348, the Reproductive Health Rights Act, a bill that would repeal existing restrictions on abortion care and affirm the rights to contraception, in vitro fertilization, sex education, and all other forms of reproductive health care.
Democracy is an action, so please consider mobilizing with the Democratic Party in Spartanburg and across the state. We need volunteers, poll workers, and future candidates to engage with us. And we need all voices to be heard at the ballot box this November.
Spartanburg County Democratic Party