COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina State Senators Margie Bright Matthews and Tameika Isaac Devine today issued a forceful condemnation of Senate Bill 323, a measure they say represents a dangerous rollback of reproductive rights in South Carolina. The bill, titled the Unborn Child Protection Act, seeks to impose sweeping restrictions on abortion access, disregarding the complexities of individual medical decisions and threatening the autonomy of women across the state.
“This bill is not about protecting life—it is about controlling women, our bodies, and our futures,” said Senator Margie Bright Matthews. “The government has no place interfering in these deeply personal healthcare decisions. We will not stand by while legislators strip away the rights of South Carolina’s women.”The senators warn that SB 323 would disproportionately impact marginalized communities, placing additional barriers on those who already struggle to access reproductive healthcare. They are calling on their colleagues in the General Assembly to reject the bill and instead focus on policies that expand, rather than restrict, healthcare access.
“We must stop playing politics with women’s lives,” said Senator Tameika Isaac Devine. “This legislation is not only unconstitutional—it is immoral. Every person deserves the right to make their own healthcare choices without government interference. We will fight this bill with everything we have.” Senators Bright Matthews and Devine vow to continue their advocacy for reproductive freedom and stand with the people of South Carolina in defending access to safe and legal healthcare.
