South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster called the Planned Parenthood abortion chain a “scourge” on his state because it kills so many unborn babies in abortions.
The pro-life governor defended his efforts to defund Planned Parenthood during a debate Thursday with his opponent, pro-abortion Democrat James Smith, The State reports.
“Those beating hearts that (would have been) eliminated in those places will become full adults,” McMaster said. “We are going to eliminate the scourge in South Carolina.”
He has been working extensively to defund the abortion giant Planned Parenthood of taxpayer dollars. Planned Parenthood is suing to stop him.
His opponent, Smith, attacked McMaster for spending money on the lawsuit. He claimed the state will lose the case, and defunding Planned Parenthood will increase abortions by reducing access to birth control – a claim contradicted by studies.
Smith said defunding the abortion chain is a “pure political stunt that put at risk the health of thousands of South Carolina women that, frankly, don’t deserve the way you’ve treated them.”
McMaster replied that the money spent on the lawsuit is well worth it to protect unborn babies’ lives, The Post and Courier reports. Every year, Planned Parenthood aborts about 320,000 unborn babies in America.
“What we have to gain are those beating hearts …” McMaster said.
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The candidates’ statements about abortion were the most heated in all of the debate, according to the report.
McMaster has been a strong advocate for unborn babies, supporting the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and working extensively to defund the abortion giant Planned Parenthood of taxpayer dollars. The National Right to Life Committee and South Carolina Citizens for Life LIFEPAC endorsed him.
In contrast, Smith supports abortion on demand and taxpayer funding to the largest abortion chain in America, Planned Parenthood. In the state legislature, he fought against a bill to protect nearly fully-formed, second-trimester unborn babies from brutal dismemberment abortions, and supported amendments claiming that unborn babies cannot feel pain, despite strong scientific evidence to the contrary.
