These five SC senators are united on abortion restrictions. They’re all women | Opinion

Let’s hear it for spunky women. Let’s give kudos to women who filibuster for hours, in flop-flops for comfort. Let’s raise a glass to the five women senators in our legislature who have labeled themselves the “Sister Senators.” Let’s give a shoutout to these five who have not only flexed their muscle in the S.C. Senate over the last few weeks but have done something truly remarkable at the same time: they have formed their own tri-partisan coalition — three Republicans, one Democrat, and one independent—working together to make certain their voices are heard. No political positions or ideologies have intruded in their mission, as they have moved forward with their agenda in a perfectly orchestrated march.

Hailed in a prominent feature story in The New York Times, Sens. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington; Margie Bright Matthews, D-Colleton; Mia McLeod, a Richland County indendent; Penry Gustafson, R-Kershaw; and Sandy Senn, R-Charleston, have made a national name for themselves for the solidarity and pluckiness they have brought to a controversial topic that has been on the agenda in state legislatures all over the country this year. In a year when abortion rights have been at the forefront of American politics and legislative dockets, five female senators from our state have carved out a preeminent stance that has gained national attention and praise. And with the recent passage in the S.C. House of Representatives of the six-week abortion bill, the Sister Senators will be called into action again when the Senate reconvenes this week to consider the House abortion bill.

In the last weeks of the regular legislative session, as the Senate tried a third time to pass a law banning abortion from conception, this group of feisty female senators blocked the action. Together they filibustered for two days, taking turns speaking, sometimes for over four hours each. Their message was a clear one and, as Sen. Margie Bright Matthews said, “This is certainly not a political issue. This is a human-rights issue, it’s an issue of women’s rights, privacy rights, family rights, and certainly partisan politics should not have anything to do with it.”

The five senators have received threats of primary challenges from some of their fellow legislators, have been the recipients of derisive gifts in the mail from anti-abortion activists, and have been targets of demonstrations on the State House grounds. But they have also received donations and supporting correspondence from people across South Carolina. Recent polls show that most voters in our state don’t approve of the overturning of Roe vs. Wade and are in favor of some level of abortion access.

Within this group of five senators, there is a range of opinion about various aspects of the abortion issue, and although their philosophies do not match to the letter, they are in total solidarity that the abortion issue, with all its ramifications, should not be the business of the S.C. Senate. Shealy commented that if it were her decision to make, she would advocate for abortion decisions to be made by women, their partners, and their doctors.

Now that the Senate must again consider abortion legislation, the Sister Senators will be called into action once more. Whatever one’s opinion might be about the issue of abortion, you have to be impressed that five members of the Senate pushed aside party politics and political creeds and joined to become a force to advocate their ideas and beliefs. In this age of horrible partisan politics, the Sister Senators proved that cooperation and shared mission are not only still possible, but can succeed.

These five women have achieved national acclaim for their sense of duty and their spirit of solidarity. I got an email from my sister who lives in North Carolina after she had read The New York Times piece about the Sisters. She put it best when she wrote, “I wish we had some women in the NC legislature who had their gumption and could see the big picture.”

Thanks, Sister Senators, for giving us something to be proud of. We will follow your efforts as you meet the challenge once again of mediating the abortion issue in our state.

This story was originally published May 22, 2023 at 3:03 PM.