Female SC Lawmakers Encourage more Women to Run for Office, Vote
The article was originally published in ABC News 4 by Tara Jabour
The five female state senators in South Carolina stopped a near abortion ban from passing last week. With the women coming together on the issue, they hope to inspire more women to get involved in politics.
The state senators told News 4 that the women binding together was a turning point. Now, they are pushing for more women in the South Carolina General Assembly.
“This might be a turning point for South Carolina with women moving forward, with women running for office and holding office,” state Sen. Penry Gustafson said. “We will help them. All five of us are willing to help anybody. At least talk to them and tell them, give guidance.”
Despite their bond, the five say they were being pressured.
“They threatened all of us with running against us to get us defeated,” state Sen. Margie Bright-Matthews said. “We have a backbone and we will use that backbone to find women across the state to run against them.”
The women said they will not be intimidated or influenced.
“Five women are too many in the (South Carolina) Senate, I guess,” Sen. Sandy Senn said. “Especially if they speak their minds, but that’s what gonna happen. A lot of people are serious about this issue, so they will be throwing money at the issue and I’m sure we will have money our way.”
All of these state senators have differing views on what would be best for the future of abortion laws in South Carolina, but they agreed that a near-total ban is not what they want, so they won’t give up.
“We don’t stop here,” state Sen. Katrina Shealy said. “We don’t let them bring it up and force it on us until we get weak. We don’t get weak. We can’t let them do it, we have to keep us here, we have to make sure we get re-elected. But we got to find more women.”