Columbia, SC — The Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network (WREN) today vehemently condemned Senate Bill 323 (the "Unborn Child Protection Act"), calling it "the most extreme abortion ban ever introduced in South Carolina and among the worst (if not the worst) in the country." In addition to banning abortion, the bill would criminalize doctors, patients, families, and neighbors who share information or offer support.
Here's a statement from WREN:
"Unlike most legislation, S.323 is moving outside the regular session, in a special process designed to fast-track the bill. The subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, October 1 at 9:30am in the Gressette Building, Room 105 at the Columbia Statehouse is the only time South Carolinians can testify in person and put their voices on the record. If the public is not heard at this stage, the bill will advance in the Senate without meaningful input from the people it affects most.
Senate Bill 323 would radically reshape South Carolina law, criminalize basic healthcare, silence free speech, and put patients and providers at risk. It wouldn't just punish people who seek abortion care, it would threaten anyone who provides information or assistance.
If a scared, pregnant friend confides in you and you share a website with abortion resources, you could be charged with a crime.
The bill strips away the few protections that remain for survivors of rape, incest, or families facing fatal fetal diagnoses. The 10-year-old girl who was raped by her uncle? Under this law, she would be forced to carry and give birth to her rapist’s child.
Those who seek care out of state are also criminalized. A Charleston mother who had to leave South Carolina in December 2024 for an abortion after learning her pregnancy had a fatal anomaly would have been denied care under this bill. Her husband who drove her, and her mother-in-law who cared for her toddler, would be treated as criminals, too.
Senate Bill 323 reaches far beyond abortion:
- It puts contraception at risk — IUDs and emergency contraception could be reclassified as illegal.
- It jeopardizes IVF — families working to build their futures could lose access to treatment.
- It endangers lives — patients experiencing miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies may be denied life-saving care.
- It criminalizes healthcare itself — doctors and patients could face felony penalties for making private medical decisions.
If passed, S.323 would:
- Ban all medication abortion and even its manufacture or possession.
- Remove exceptions for rape, incest, or fatal fetal anomaly.
- Redefine embryos as full legal persons, threatening contraception, IVF, and miscarriage care.
- Impose felony penalties up to 30 years on physicians and medical providers.
- Gag doctors and advocates from sharing accurate medical information — even online.
- Criminalize helping someone travel out of state for abortion care.
- Create bounty-style lawsuits, letting private citizens sue for $10,000 or more.
'This bill is dangerous beyond anything we’ve seen before,' said Amalia Luxardo, CEO of WREN. 'It doesn’t just ban abortion. It criminalizes doctors, censors information, and even opens the door for lawsuits against anyone who helps a pregnant person.'
WREN calls on South Carolinians to act before it’s too late:
- Attend the upcoming subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, October 1 at 9:30am in the Gressette Building, Room 105 at the Columbia Statehouse. We have directions to the statehouse here.
- Contact your legislators to oppose S.323. You can use our email link for a templated response.
- Share personal stories to show how devastating this law would be.
South Carolinians deserve compassion, healthcare, and freedom NOT punishment, censorship, and cruelty."