🧵As many of you know, the so-called "Fetal Heartbeat Bill" is now in effect in South Carolina. However, a SC House committee will host their first meeting to consider toughening those abortion laws on July 7th. The 12-member committee is made up of 8 Republicans and 4 Democrats 7 of those members are in the House’s conservative Family Caucus, which calls itself “unashamedly pro-life.” @henrymcmaster supports a total abortion ban. In addition, Sen. Richard Cash introduced the “Equal Protection at Conception - No Exceptions - Act" wistv.com/2022/06/28/sc-…

Just saw this in the "SC Heartbeat Bill" (SECTION 44-41-20, Legal Abortions): "During the third trimester of pregnancy, the abortion is performed with the pregnant woman's consent, and if married and living with her husband the consent of her husband, in a certified hospital..." "and only if the attending physician & one additional consulting physician, who shall not be related to or engaged in private practice with the attending physician, certify in writing to the hospital...that the abortion is necessary...to preserve the life or health of the woman"

No matter your feelings on all things COVID (vaccines, masks, virtual learning, horse medicine, etc.), this was not a good week in South Carolina. We are not doing a good job by any stretch of the imagination. How can you look at all of this, do nothing, and just shrug it off? Here's a sampling of what's happened this last week:

1. SC tops entire country for COVID case rate postandcourier.com/health/covid19…

2. SC National Guard steps in to relieve overburdened Lowcountry and Pee Dee ER departments abcnews4.com/news/videos/sc…

Whoa...... SLED investigating shooting, media reports suggest Alex Murdaugh involved abcnews4.com/news/local/sle… According to @thestate, Alex Murdaugh was shot on a rural road thestate.com/news/local/cri…

SC hospitals call in National Guard after unprecedented spike in ER coronavirus patients postandcourier.com/health/covid19… "On Sept. 3, Tidelands Health officials announced they would be partnering with about a dozen members of the South Carolina National Guard to assist in emergency departments, temporary respiratory clinics and monoclonal antibody clinics amid the current COVID-19 surge."

This debate has started, you can watch it on TV or stream live online via @ABCNews4

https://twitter.com/ABCNews4/status/1052331086485889025

The moderator is @abcnews4dean. Panelists asking questions tonight - @tspencertv of ABC News 4, Christi Gramling, Assistant Professor of Political Science, CSU, and Diana Snellgrove, a senior political science major. The live stream can be watched here:

https://twitter.com/ABCNews4/status/1052330786832207878