Donald Trump signed a flurry of Executive Orders in the first week of his second term, but he’s not the only politician who’s been busy. In December 2024, South Carolina State Representative Robert J. Harris (R) pre-filed the South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act (3537). Now, the bill will be getting a second look from the SC Judiciary Committee. The proposed bill seeks to amend the state’s criminal code, expanding its definition of “person” to include “an unborn child at any stage of development.” Doing so could allow the death penalty for anyone seeking or providing an abortion. Whether the bill will pass into law is a different matter, but social media reactions have been loud.
South Carolina Bill 3537 & the Death Penalty
The mandatory minimum sentence for homicide in South Carolina is 30 years in prison. Under special circumstances, including in matters involving a victim under 11 years of age, the minimum sentence can be life in prison or the death penalty. Under the new bill, anyone aborting a pregnancy in South Carolina could face imprisonment or execution. That remains true even with the limited exceptions established by the bill. If TikTok reactions are anything to judge by, fears, frustrations, and grim determination are all running high.
Celebrities aren’t the only ones speaking out against Trump and the draconian legislation proposed by Harris and his fellow legislators, either. The social media reaction to the news has been anything but muted. A video on the subject by @thatgirlnicholee garnered 73.4k likes and a slew of comments speaking out against the proposed bill. As one commenter put it, “Sooo instead of ‘killing babies’ we’re killing women now? Got it 👍” Another TikTok user pointed out the apparent hypocrisy of leveraging the death penalty in this way,
not for murders, grapist, child or women abusers, but for abortion…. [sic]
“And women like Carrie Underwood [voted] for the POS T Rump,” commented another user on @thatgirlnicholee’s video. Though who a celebrity might have voted for isn’t the most pressing part of the unfolding threat to abortion rights in the U.S., the comment expresses a popular sentiment. Many Americans seemingly voted against their own interests by electing reactionary politicians like Rep. Harris and President Trump, and some consequences are now rearing up. The South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act is just one head on the hydra of fascist sentiment in the U.S., and it’s only growing.
