29 members of SC Family Caucus leave group over aggressive anti-abortion tactics
More than half of the members of a caucus that believes in further restricting abortion access lost half of its membership Wednesday in a rebuke of the group’s founder.
In a letter signed Wednesday, 29 members of the Family Caucus publicly left the group, which was founded by state Rep. John McCravy, R-Greenwood, who has been pushing for an abortion ban at conception. Late Wednesday evening, a state senator left the group.
Members of the group, which had 55 current lawmakers listed on its website as members, objected to tactics by outside and third-party groups coming to churches to call for further abortion bans in the state.
“These groups employ inflammatory tactics and seek confrontation,” the letter to McCravy said. “Their harassment of churchgoers — on Palm Sunday, no less — crosses a moral line. Your silence as the moderator of this caucus, along with your continued support and engagement with the groups that employ those tactics is unacceptable.”
The resignation letter, which was signed by state Reps. Richie Yow, Davey Hiott, Patrick Haddon, Shannon Erickson, Bobby Cox, Val Guest, Melissa Oremus, Cal Forrest, Cody Mitchell, among others, also says the caucus has punished dissent.
“Our resignation is not a withdrawal from the fight for faith and family — it is a stand for the principles that should define that fight,” the letter said. “We will continue to advocate for pro-family, pro-life and pro-faith policies in the State House.”
State Sen. Josh Kimbrell, R-Spartanburg, announced his resignation in a letter he shared on Facebook.
“While I remain committed to pro-family policies in the Palmetto State, ranging from protecting life to defending parental rights, I will do so as a member of the Senate in my own capacity,” Kimbrell wrote in a letter to McCravy. “I do this with a heavy heart, but out of the firm conviction that your leadership of the Family Caucus has become contentious and a distraction to the mission of the caucus and the good it seeks to advance for the citizens of South Carolina.”
Ahead of Wednesday’s mass departure from the Family Caucus, McCravy stood with Students for Life Action and Jason Rapert, the founder of the National Association of Christian Lawmakers, in the State House lobby pushing for a vote on the Human Life Protection Act, which has had only one hearing in the House this year.
“They got upset because they passed out some fliers in church. Well, I just like to know where people are supposed to talk about life if they don’t talk about it at church,” Rapert said.
The Students for Life even brought spines to the State House, similar to the spines they gave three former Republican female senators, when they voted against a stricter abortion ban. Students for Life is a national organization of young adults against abortion.
McCravy has been pushing for the House to take up the Human Life Protection Act, which would ban abortion at conception with the exception of in medical emergencies.
The bill is stuck in committee and has not been a priority this year for lawmakers in the House, despite maintaining a GOP supermajority in November’s election. The change after the election was in the Senate where Republicans gained a supermajority. That chamber has taken no action on abortion, even though the chamber’s only three Republican women were voted out in primaries.
“Suddenly, this bill can’t seem to get a vote in the South Carolina House,” said Kristin Hawkins, the president for Students for Life. “I know there’s a lot of issues that go on in legislative season. Apparently there’s a bunch of casino bills everyone has time to talk about, but I think protecting pre-born South Carolinian babies should be number one.”
Hiott said the GOP caucus did not want taking up further abortion restrictions to be a priority this year as state law already bans most abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually around the sixth week of a pregnancy.
“Our response to him was, take the bills over to the Senate, now that there’s a new makeup of the Senate, get it started in the Senate and have them send it to us, and then we’ll take a look at it,” said Hiott, who is the House majority leader.
Also standing behind McCravy on Wednesday were several members of the Freedom Caucus. Whether McCravy would join the Freedom Caucus remains to be seen. The group is by invitation only.
“The Human Life Protection Act is something that I will always stand for. And I know these folks behind me will too,” McCravy said.
In recent days, Hiott has confirmed details of slurs allegedly uttered by McCravy in private meetings over appointments of state Rep. Beth Bernstein, D-Richland, who is Jewish, and now state Sen. Jason Elliot, R-Greenville, who is gay, to key Judiciary Committee posts. Hiott, who signed the Wednesday’s Family Caucus resignation letter, left the group last week.
McCravy has denied using the slurs.
“I don’t have anything against either of those people, personally, in any way. I’ve worked with them for years,” McCravy said.
“It was a private conversation, and I did say, as probably a year and a half ago, that that putting a liberal Democrat on the family life committee was not something that I would do,” McCravy added. “Unlike some people, I don’t talk about people’s private conversations, so I’m not going to do that.”
Rapert also defended McCravy’s character.
“I’m here today to tell you that this lie against John McCravy is absolutely false, and it should reveal to everybody standing in this State House how low some people will go,” Rapert said.
This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 5:25 PM.
