The defeat of a near-total abortion ban in South Carolina was made possible with the assistance of the only three Republican women in the Senate. However, following Tuesday’s primary, they are losing their election bids.
After joining forces with Democratic women to defeat the measure, the senators faced two losses and a runoff. Despite the backlash, they were awarded the prestigious John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award for their bravery in risking their careers for the greater good. They firmly believed that a pregnant woman should not lose control of her body as soon as an egg is fertilized, and their actions reflected this conviction.
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In 2012, the Senate in the state was solely comprised of men, and unfortunately, the trend seems to continue as the chamber may not have a single Republican woman by 2025. Out of the 46 members, there are only two Democratic women present.
Sen. Katrina Shealy, who is preparing for a runoff, expressed her disapproval by stating, “That’s a definite slap in the face to women. Republican women are losing elections over a single issue, despite their hard work towards other important matters.”
Bucking the tide
On Tuesday, voters went against the recent trend of having doubts about implementing stricter abortion laws.
According to experts, the low turnout and the fact that the races were held in Republican-drawn districts, where voters tend to be more passionate about issues such as abortion, may have skewed the results of the statewide polling, which indicated that a complete ban on abortion is not widely supported.
After pushing for a compromise, the Republican women were successful in getting a ban on abortion once cardiac activity is detected. This usually occurs around six weeks after conception.
According to Dave Wilson, a conservative political consultant who has worked with anti-abortion groups, it’s more manageable to engage in smaller battles rather than tackle an entire statewide war. He suggests that in mini battles, voters have the ability to express their dissatisfaction with the approach taken, and it only takes a few to make an impact.
The races
According to Allen Blackman, the only opponent of Penry Gustafson, her defeat wasn’t solely due to her stance on abortion. Blackman, who believes that life begins at conception, pointed out that Gustafson’s support had dwindled to less than 20% in a newly redrawn district where her base was no longer included. Additionally, constituents were dissatisfied with her inability to address their issues effectively.
State Senator Sandy Senn came close to winning the election against State Representative Matt Leber with a narrow margin of just 31 votes. Although a recount is possible, it is unlikely to change the results by a significant margin as recounts in South Carolina usually only result in a few vote changes. The election was marred by accusations, with Senn posting signs featuring Leber’s mugshot. However, Leber claimed that these accusations were inflated and never led to any convictions.
Senn’s record was distorted by Leber’s false attacks, which went as far as doctoring photographs to portray her as the infamous Joker from DC Comics.
Senn’s chances may have been impacted by redistricting, as her Charleston district has been redrawn to include a larger number of conservative voters.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Gustafson expressed gratitude towards her supporters and made a promise to continue serving the community. On the other hand, Senn refrained from commenting on the race until the recount is completed later this week. She conveyed this through an email response. Notably, neither of the women mentioned anything about abortion.
Shealy’
s runoff
In the midst of a tough night for Republican women, Shealy emerged as the sole survivor, although she only secured 40% of the vote. Her next challenge will be facing off against Carlisle Kennedy, a political newcomer and attorney, in the upcoming June 25th runoff.
Messages were left unanswered by Kennedy on Wednesday, in response to the billboards that were scattered around Shealy’s district in Lexington County. These billboards suggested that Shealy was not in favor of the “pro-life” movement. This district has been instrumental in flipping the state from Democratic to Republican control over the past fifty years.
On Wednesday, Shealy stated that her approach for the primary was to maintain distance from any conflict. However, for the runoff, she plans to adopt a different strategy, even if it means making some individuals uneasy about a woman who speaks up and stands her ground.
When Shealy was elected in 2012, South Carolina’s Senate had been an all-male club for four years with rarely more than one woman in the chamber. If she does not win her reelection bid, it is likely that the Senate in 2025 would have only two women, both of them being Democrats.
According to her, the opinions and viewpoints of women, who constitute a significant majority of registered voters in South Carolina, may go unnoticed. This could lead to overlooking important concerns that they raise, such as the provision of free lunches for all schoolchildren.
Shealy stated that she didn’t break the ceiling for the sake of abortion rights, but rather because there was a need for someone to care about those who were being neglected, including children, families, veterans, and the elderly. She made it her mission to give a voice to those who had been ignored and overlooked.
