Catholics for Choice Stands Against South Carolina S. 323, The Most Extreme Abortion Ban in the Nation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Contact: Lilian Medina Romero
Phone: (703) 688-2410
Email: lromero@catholicsforchoice.org
Catholics for Choice Stands Against South Carolina S. 323, The Most Extreme Abortion Ban in the Nation
WASHINGTON — Catholics for Choice, which serves the pro-choice Catholic majority, released the following statement from Nicole McCurdy, Organizing and Movement Building Associate, in opposition to South Carolina S. 323, an effort to pass the most extreme abortion ban in the country with virtually no exceptions, criminalizing essential healthcare and threatening the rights and safety of millions.
“Despite overwhelming public opposition, South Carolina lawmakers are moving forward today with a second hearing on S. 323, where no public testimony will be accepted. This bill goes further than any abortion restriction considered since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
At Catholics for Choice, we support abortion access because of our faith, not in spite of it. Eschewing the so-called “consistent life ethic,” S. 323 shows the anti-abortion movement’s true goal: an extreme, punitive approach.
This bill ignores medical realities, denies compassion, and violates moral conscience, religious liberty, and human dignity. It is part of a coordinated political strategy and a broader movement of white Christian nationalism that threatens not only South Carolinians but also seeks to set a precedent for the entire nation. By imposing the harshest criminal penalties in the country, without meaningful exceptions for rape, incest, non-viable pregnancies, or serious health threats, S. 323 does not protect life: It exerts control over deeply personal decisions made in moments of trauma and crisis.
Catholics for Choice unequivocally opposes S. 323, as our faith affirms healthcare as a human right and urges us to respect people’s informed conscience in making decisions about their lives. We condemn this bill in the strongest terms and call for laws that recognize the complexity of real life and uphold the sacred responsibility entrusted to individuals and families, not replace compassionate care with criminal punishment.”
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Catholics for Choice — which serves the pro-choice Catholic majority — encounters, educates, and emboldens people of faith who support reproductive freedom.
