April 13, 2018 (National Right to Life) – Abortions occurring in South Carolina in 2017 declined by more than 10% from 2016, according to provisional data from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control [DHEC]. The number of abortions for 2017 is the lowest figure since 1976.
“This is great news,” said South Carolina Citizens for Life President Lisa Van Riper. “Abortions in South Carolina continue to decrease and lives are saved through the efforts of moral education, compassionate care, and protective legislation.”
Since 1990, when the South Carolina General Assembly passed its first pro-life law, the Parental Consent Act, the number of abortions has steadily declined.
Overall, since the peak number of abortions in 1988, abortions have tumbled by more than 63 percent. That translates into 166,507 lives saved.
Van Riper thanked the elected officials who continue to support and pass protective prolife laws, the network of pregnancy care centers that provide free care for pregnant women in difficult circumstances, and moral educators, especially pastors, for the continued drop in the number of aborted babies.
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In raw numbers, there were 5,735 abortions in 2016 and 5,112 abortions in 2017, or a decline of 10.88%, according to the DHEC preliminary report.
All three freestanding abortion facilities lost business in 2017. The Charleston Women's Medical Center lost nearly 25 percent of business, Greenville Women's Clinic lost nearly 5 percent and Planned Parenthood in Columbia lost about 4 percent.
Since 1990, when the South Carolina General Assembly passed its first pro-life law, the Parental Consent Act, abortions occurring in the state have steadily declined.
South Carolina Citizens for Life has been instrumental in successfully lobbying for the passage of 15 pro-life state laws. For more information, please see the graph that is being updated to reflect the 2017 data.
Published with permission from National Right to Life.