Proposed Statehouse Monument to Dead Fetus

Thirty-three state House members, including four local legislators, support a proposed Statehouse monument that would memorialize "South Carolina children whose lives ended before their birth."

Reps. Wendell Gilliard (D-Charleston), Jim Merrill (R-Daniel Island), Tim Scott (R-North Charleston), and Mike Sottile (R-Isle of Palms) are co-sponsors of the bill. The monument would be paid for through private donations (the bill stresses that donors would not have to be revealed in public financial disclosures), and the state would be expected to pay for the maintenance of it.

Usually, we would just label this as pandering and move on without mention, but 33 sponsors out of 124 representatives is a strong indication of support. It's the latest in a flood of anti-abortion legislation, including a proposal for a 24-hour waiting period before the procedure. That bill is expected to be debated this week.