S477 would expand access to hormonal birth control by allowing pharmacists to dispense “self-administered hormonal contraceptives” (such as the pill, patch, or ring), and in some cases injectables, without a patient-specific doctor’s prescription.
The South Carolina State Senate passed S477 on May 6, 2025 by a vote of 44 to 0. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this bill dangerously normalizes hormonal contraceptives by allowing them to be dispensed without a doctor’s oversight, risking missed diagnoses and potential abuse by traffickers. Many of these drugs act as abortifacients by preventing implantation of a developing preborn child, resulting in silent abortions. Government’s duty is to protect human life, not facilitate its destruction; lawmakers should work to prohibit all abortion methods and uphold the God-given right to life affirmed in the Declaration of Independence and secured by the Fifth and 14th Amendments.
