South Carolina GOP legislator tears up, doesn't vote on abortion ban after teen's near-death

[Pedocon Theory is not a theory]

https://www.rawstory.com/south-carolina-abortion-ban/

A South Carolina lawmaker became emotional on Tuesday after explaining that an anti-abortion law that he voted for could have resulted in the death of a young woman.

Republican state Rep. Neal Collins told South Carolina's House Judiciary Committee that he would not be voting on a ban that only has exceptions for saving the life of the mother. The bill provides no provisions for victims of rape or incest.

Collins revealed that he had sleepless nights after learning that doctors refused to extract the fetus from a 19-year-old woman whose water broke at 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Doctors told Collins there was a "greater than 50% chance that she's going to lose her uterus."

He said there was also a 10% chance that the woman could die of sepsis.

"That weighs on me," Collins remarked. "I voted for that bill. These are affecting people and we're having a meeting about this. That whole week I did not sleep."

The lawmaker's voice cracked as he explained that the woman had to wait two weeks before the fetus could be extracted without a beating heart.

[jojoju1998]

Pandora's box has been opened.

[Born to Slay. Forced to Work.]

This is shocking, but in a good way. Collins is from Easley in Occonee county. Occonee has voted for a Republican in every election since 1960 with the exception of 1976. Even then by less than 500 votes.

It is routinely the most conservative of the conservative in the state. He’s not from some moderate suburban region like around Charleston of Columbia. Collins has never even faced a democratic opponent.

[Schiff for Senate]

Good to see there are still some 'compassionate conservatives' who genuinely care about people and about doing the right thing. State. Rep. Collins seems to be a big FF. He realises that the decisions he makes have real, tangible effects on his constituents, realises that the effects of the abortion ban in SC are VERY BAD, and is willing to be honest about that and admit he was wrong. If only more GOP politicians (or just politicians, period) were like this: they interacted with their constituents and if they found that a policy they supported was actually having a negative affect on said constituents, they then had the courage to reverse course and admit they were wrong.

Like with him, you can tell he genuinely supported all these abortion bans - he didn't vote for them to appease the base or whatever, but because he thought it was the right thing to do. And now, in the face of what its effects have been, he is willing to change his mind on this issue, and evolve his position.

This is shocking, but in a good way. Collins is from Easley in Occonee county. Occonee has voted for a Republican in every election since 1960 with the exception of 1976. Even then by less than 500 votes.

It is routinely the most conservative of the conservative in the state. He’s not from some moderate suburban region like around Charleston of Columbia. Collins has never even faced a democratic opponent.

This is obviously not for political theatre or show or to win over Biden voters in the suburbs or whatever, then, as I suspected. Collins is a 'compassionate conservative' who genuinely cares about what effects the policies the legislature enacts has on his constituents, and he deserves kudos for finding out the destructive affects of this abortion ban and being willing to admit he was wrong and speak up about it.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

I’m glad he was able to change his mind when faced with the consequences of his actions.

[Schiff for Senate]

I’m glad he was able to change his mind when faced with the consequences of his actions.

This. It also appears as if, the conservatism of his district notwithstanding, he's genuinely not just another Trumpish, MAGA Republican. From Wikipedia -

In the general election, Collins criticized Republican nominee Donald Trump, and said he would either vote for independent Evan McMullin or leave that part of the ballot blank.

It doesn't say anything beyond that. It's possible he was just like Ted Cruz and became a hardcore Trumpist once he realised it was what made sense politically, but I get the feeling (and of course, I could be wrong) that he stood by his anti-Trumpism (though if he did, it was probably muted or not vocal - otherwise, I can't imagine he wouldn't successfully have been primaried by now).

[7,052,770]

I mean, it's not like we didn't warn him that stuff like this would happen. At maximum volume.

But still, better late than never.

[MasterJedi]

But Fuzzy is still ok with it.

[ProgressiveModerate]

I mean, it's not like we didn't warn him that stuff like this would happen. At maximum volume.

But still, better late than never.

It's ok if politicians make mistakes but being able to own up to them is quite powerful cause very few are able to do that. Kudos to him, even if I disagree with him on a lot of other things, for at least being able to acknowledge this.

[Schiff for Senate]

This is shocking, but in a good way. Collins is from Easley in Occonee county. Occonee has voted for a Republican in every election since 1960 with the exception of 1976. Even then by less than 500 votes.

It is routinely the most conservative of the conservative in the state. He’s not from some moderate suburban region like around Charleston of Columbia. Collins has never even faced a democratic opponent.

Easley is in Pickens County (except for a small part in Anderson County). And Collins' post redistricting district, HD5, does not include any part of Occonee County - it is entirely within Pickens and Greenville Counties. That said, your point still stands, given that Pickens has also not voted blue since 1960 except for 1976, and that, like Occonee, it is heavily conservative (in fact it votes to the right of Occonee - Occonee was Trump+47, and Pickens was Trump+51, in 2020). Collins' (new) district also supported Trump by 48 points.

Still, all that is minor nitpicking. The point is, as you said - it's not as if he represents some Biden district in Charleston County or whatever, and it's also not like he's not got a record as a fervent pro-lifer who supports abortion bans and everything. He's genuinely a very pro-life guy in a very conservative district, who has had a genuine change of heart on abortion bans after seeing their disastrous effects.

I mean, it's not like we didn't warn him that stuff like this would happen. At maximum volume.

But still, better late than never.

It's ok if politicians make mistakes but being able to own up to them is quite powerful cause very few are able to do that. Kudos to him, even if I disagree with him on a lot of other things, for at least being able to acknowledge this.

Agreed 100%. The ones who deserve vitriol are the ones who voted for abortion bans to "please the base," the ones who realise fully well the negative consequences of what they've voted for, and will still not admit they're wrong or change their position. Collins is fine - sure, he should've voted against these to begin with, but he's genuinely realised that it was a bad idea and now has the courage to (putting his political career on the line) say as much. You don't see that from most politicians, even when they realise they were in the wrong or made a mistake.

[Hammy]

I mean, it's not like we didn't warn him that stuff like this would happen. At maximum volume.

But still, better late than never.

People tend to be stubborn, and will often dismiss things purely because they come from an opposing viewpoint.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

This is shocking, but in a good way. Collins is from Easley in Occonee county. Occonee has voted for a Republican in every election since 1960 with the exception of 1976. Even then by less than 500 votes.

It is routinely the most conservative of the conservative in the state. He’s not from some moderate suburban region like around Charleston of Columbia. Collins has never even faced a democratic opponent.

Yeah, he’s from my area of the state. I’m at least somewhat relieved to hear that *some* legislators are realizing the consequences of their actions. Of course, that isn’t to say that the guy’s going to get primaried because he’s ok with any exceptions.

[Ferguson97]

It takes a big person to admit that they were wrong.

I think we're going to see a lot of this. Conservatives and pro-lifers will see the actual consequences of what they're pushing for. A lot of them will still be ghouls and will say that this woman should have been denied an abortion, but I'd like to think most will be human enough.

[GregTheGreat657]

This guy seems pretty based to me

[Schiff for Senate]

It takes a big person to admit that they were wrong.

I think we're going to see a lot of this. Conservatives and pro-lifers will see the actual consequences of what they're pushing for. A lot of them will still be ghouls and will say that this woman should have been denied an abortion, but I'd like to think most will be human enough.

A few will. Most of them (at least if we're talking pro-life politicians) will either not realise what's wrong about zero-exception abortion bans or abortion bans with no exceptions for rape/incest, or will realise it but (unlike State Rep. Collins) won't have the courage to say anything about it (as you said, and this is especially true for politicians, it does take a big person to admit a mistake).

[HillGoose]

yeah the death panels r coming, big gov decided ppl don't have the right to their own medical decisions any more, this kind of stuff is going to happen more and more

the slope is so slippery that probably in 2060 when we r living in the world from the beginning of Interstellar and u get cancer big gov will just be like oh well i guess u just have to die (unless u r a billionaire)

2060 might be optimistic maybe more like 2030.

things only get worse forever.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Good on him, but given recent patterns within the GOP, he'll probably be tearing up about his loss in his next primary.

[T'Chenka]

Good on him, but given recent patterns within the GOP, he'll probably be tearing up about his loss in his next primary.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

These are tough situations and I hope that all legislators can approach them with such care and thoughtfulness as he shows here, while still working to limit abortion.

[T'Chenka]

These are tough situations and I hope that all legislators can approach them with such care and thoughtfulness as he shows here, while still working to limit abortion.

Banning abortion might curtail it a bit, but much like marijuana (and alcohol in the 1920s), banning it doesn't drastically limit it. It just makes it illegal, unregulated and more dangerous.

[DaleCooper]

I have no interest in this man's crocodile tears.

[Stockdale for Veep]

The irony of (very few of) the religious right needing verifiable proof in order to consider changing their position...

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Given that the woman had a non-trivial risk of dying, it seems like a mistake for the doctors to not have extracted the fetus. With that said, this man seems to be ruled by his emotions and that is a bad thing in general. Probably next week he will see a photo of an aborted fetus and go back to enthusiastically supporting the bill.

[Torie]

Hopefully AH Duke will let us know whether this personal testimony has any impact on legislative hearts and minds. Not having an exception for a serious possibility of great bodily harm to the mother even if after the first trimester is cruel and barbaric and unconscionable and nonsensical.

[Del Tachi]

These are tough situations and I hope that all legislators can approach them with such care and thoughtfulness as he shows here, while still working to limit abortion.

Banning abortion might curtail it a bit, but much like marijuana (and alcohol in the 1920s), banning it doesn't drastically limit it. It just makes it illegal, unregulated and more dangerous.

This is one of the biggest myths of American pop history.  Alcohol consumption decreased 70% between 1920 and 1933, and deaths from cirrhosis of the liver declined by 20% during the same time period.  The legality of abortion (or drugs) has great implications for how common it will be.