South Carolina House passes bill to outlaw mail order abortion pill

Members of the South Carolina House have passed a bill outlaw the mailing and distribution of abortion-inducing drugs like the abortion pill mifepristone into the state.

Key Takeaways:

• H. 4760 criminalizes the use and distribution of abortion-inducing drugs within the state, and would classify mifepristone and misoprostol (the two drugs of the abortion pill regimen) as Schedule IV substances.

• South Carolina protects most preborn children from abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy.

• The bill aims to close a loophole that has allowed the abortion pill's mailing and distribution within the state, despite state law protecting preborn children from abortion.

The Details:

H. 4760 criminalizes the use and distribution of abortion-inducing drugs within the state, which prohibits most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. The bill would also classify mifepristone and misoprostol as Schedule IV substances requiring a prescription.

Those violating the law face the possibility of up to five years in prison and/or a $50,000 fine for providing the drugs, up to 10 years and/or $75,000 fine if the violation results in death or major bodily harm to the pregnant woman, and up to 50 years and/or $100,000 fine if it involves a minor under the age of 18.

The bill passed the House by an 81-31 vote and now heads to the Senate.

READ: NEW ANALYSIS: Nearly 11% of women suffer ‘serious adverse events’ after taking abortion pill

Holly Gattling, executive director of South Carolina Citizens for Life, praised the legislation as a positive step forward.

"No one—regardless of where they reside—should be permitted to facilitate the unlawful killing of unborn children in South Carolina," Gattling said. "Women and underage girls are increasingly encouraged to evade South Carolina law by obtaining abortion-inducing drugs through the internet and mail. This practice endangers women and their unborn children and undermines the sovereign will of the people of South Carolina as expressed through their elected representatives."

Zoom In:

Abortion pill legislation like this bill has become more prevalent in states with pro-life protections, as lawmakers try to close legal loopholes that have resulted in the abortion pill's continued distribution and use, despite state laws restricting abortion.

Pro-abortion groups have continually boasted about evading these pro-life laws by providing abortion pills through the mail to anyone who asks for them.

Though women were once required to meet in person with a physician before receiving the abortion pill, that regulation was repealed under the Biden administration, which allowed "telehealth abortions" and the shipping of the abortion pill via mail. The results have been disastrous, with women suffering abortion injuries at home without physician oversight, and men ordering the abortion pill and then using the pill to force abortions on their unwilling victims.

The Bottom Line:

Both women and their children deserve protection from abortion. A law prohibiting the abortion pill's widespread distribution is one way to ensure that babies — and their moms — remain safe.