Greenville County considers 'right-to-life' ordinance supporting an abortion ban in SC

Councilman Stan Tzouvelekas introduced a "right-to-life" ordinance Tuesday night at Greenville County Council to support a statewide abortion ban that's been sought by anti-abortion activists and some Republicans in South Carolina.

The ordinance would make Greenville County a "right-to-life" county, meaning the county would encourage a state law to ban abortion and recognize life from "conception to natural death."

The ordinance was moved to the council's Public Safety Committee by Council Chairman Willis Meadows. It would have to pass three readings to be enacted.

But it would not have specific legal implications, as Greenville County Council does not have the power to ban abortions, according to Greenville County Attorney Mark Tollison.

Tzouvelekas said he understands that would have to come from a level beyond the county.

"What I want to do at a county level is make sure we're doing everything to protect life," he said.

The ordinance urges the South Carolina General Assembly to pass the "Equal Protection for Unborn Babies Act," or legislation S.988, which focuses on criminalizing abortion. Unlike the state's Fetal Heartbeat Act, which was blocked by a federal court and faces ongoing legal wrangling, the Equal Protection for Unborn Babies Act does not allow rape or incest as a reason for performing an abortion.

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Greenville County Democratic Party Chair Amanda McDougald Scott said she was confused by the county's proposed ordinance. She said it reads more like a values statement than an ordinance to implement law.

"My question is how is this going to be carried out," McDougald Scott said. "Even if it is a value statement, if it's law, it can be interpreted by different people how they want."

McDougald Scott said it's possible the ordinance could be interpreted as a way to prohibit access to abortions, which would break federal law under Roe v. Wade, which ruled the U.S. Constitution protects a pregnant woman's right to have an abortion without government restriction.

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"Why would you set us up for another expensive court case?" McDougald Scott asked. "I get that the most staunch Republicans and Greenville County Republicans want to overturn Roe v. Wade, but this is a waste of time, effort and taxpayer money.

"If (Greenville County Council is) really dedicated to life and the quality of life, maybe they could better spend their time on the things that are actually going to help people, like investment in transportation, affordable housing, childcare."

Local activist Tikeeta Wallace, the sole speaker during the public-comment session of County Council's meeting Tuesday night, spoke against the ordinance.

“This is a very hard issue, and it hits everybody a different way," Wallace said. "Instead of thinking of children who aren’t even conceived yet, we should think about the children who are here."

The proposed ordinance makes reference to the U.S. Supreme Court decision Poelker v. Doe, which found “the Constitution does not forbid a State or city, pursuant to democratic processes, from expressing a preference for normal childbirth."

"The Greenville County Council desires to express its deep conviction that all human beings through all stages of life, from conception to natural death, should be afforded protection from acts of cruelty and that they should be treated humanely, with dignity, and opportunity," the ordinance reads.

The ordinance also directs the council to provide greater awareness to "compassionate" programs and facilities available for pregnant women and families.

Read the full ordinance at greenvillecounty.org:

Right to Life Ordinance by Genna Contino on Scribd

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Genna Contino covers Greenville County and housing for The Greenville News. Contact Genna at gcontino@gannett.com or on Twitter @GennaContino. Subscribe to The Greenville News at greenvillenews.com/subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greenville County considers 'right-to-life' ordinance for abortion ban