Finlay doesn’t trust you with your body or the truth

Rep. Kirkman Finlay, R-Richland, voted to ban abortion. That’s the truth he’s unwilling to tell you. I’ve put it at the center of my campaign, because if the government can force women to give birth against their will, then there is no limit on government power over an individual, their body, and their rights. Today, it’s my rights, tomorrow yours.

The bill Finlay supports (H.5399) is particularly bad for women and girls. Under that bill, there are no exceptions for viability or fetal abnormality, so women with nonviable pregnancies will have to birth their dead babies. There is no exception for age-of-the-child, so a pregnant child as young as 10 will be forced to become a mother. There is a 12-week exception for rape and incest, but doctors are required to report the abortion to law enforcement. Doctors or others who help women obtain abortions will be prosecuted for felony offenses.

That’s not all. Because the bill defines “life” as beginning at conception, two conservative Republican state senators — Tom Davis (Beaufort) and Katrina Shealy (Lexington) — wrote in The State that they could not support H.5399 because it threatens common forms of birth control.

Finlay was too afraid to go on the record for an interview with a reporter from The State, defend his position, and discuss why he deserves to be reelected. He wants you to believe he didn’t vote for this extreme law because he didn’t vote or “walked” on the final vote. But here’s the truth: he voted six times to help pass this bill. He voted against a motion to table (i.e., kill) the bill. He voted to “reconsider” the bill and help keep it alive. He voted against adjourning, continuing, and recommitting the bill—efforts by pro-choice lawmakers to delay its passage. And he voted to cut off debate (i.e., “cloture”) so it could receive a final vote of approval. Then, having helped guarantee its passage, he walked on the final vote.

Walking on a tough vote is a common Finlay tactic over the 10 years he has represented this district. During his tenure as our representative, Finlay has missed 1,450 votes — more than 21 percent of all the votes in the House. That is a shocking number of votes to miss for a legislator who lives closer to the State House than all but a handful of other lawmakers. I believe we deserve a representative willing to decide and vote, especially when it’s hard. And our representative should be strong enough to defend that position to the public — whether popular or not.

During the debate on H.5399, Finlay also had an opportunity to stand up for women and vote for safe, legal abortion with reasonable restrictions (Amendment No. 4). That’s what women had under Roe v. Wade, and that’s what I support. But Finlay voted against that amendment. His position is clear.

I trust women in this district to make their own decisions. For 50 years Roe struck the right balance of trusting women and their doctors, while allowing reasonable restrictions on late-term abortions. No one wants “more” abortion, but outlawing it will not rid us of abortion, it will simply cause women and girls to make dangerous choices. If you were of age before 1973, you remember a world with coat-hanger and back-alley abortions. We can’t go back to those dark times.

Abortion is a tough, personal issue over which reasonable people differ. I welcome those debates. But I believe the choice in this election is over who chooses — the people or the government. And while we may at times disagree on an issue, I respect those in this district (my friends and neighbors) who may hold a different view. I’ll always listen, try my best, and tell you the truth about what I believe. I won’t hide from reporters or shirk my duty to vote on the floor.

Our current representative doesn’t trust women to make their own healthcare decisions and he doesn’t respect you enough to level about what he believes. We deserve better. I’d be honored to be your next representative, and my promise to you is that I’ll work hard and always tell you the truth.

Heather Bauer is a small business owner and an information technology project manager. She is the Democratic nominee for SC House District 75.