Happy February! 

To prepare the faithful for International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops reminds us of the story of St. Josephine Bakhita, patron saint of human trafficking victims. This great saint, born in Sudan in the 1860s and sold into slavery at age 8, survived horrific treatment and torture throughout her life. She converted to Catholicism when she saw a crucifix and the horrors that Christ suffered. St. Josephine realized that her suffering was united to his. When she was freed from captivity by women religious, she entered a convent and gave her life to Jesus. 

We are all made in the image and likeness of God. Human trafficking is a grave evil because it denies human beings the inherent dignity bestowed on them by the Father. The South Carolina Catholic Conference is committed to ending human trafficking in our state, country and around the world. 

See more details on this week's highlights below! 

Jan 31

First - After the Senate passed the Telehealth and Telemedicine Modernization Act (H. 4159) with amendment, the House of Representatives accepted the amendment unanimously. The bill will now go to Gov. Henry McMaster’s desk to be signed into law. 

Technology is a rapidly changing field, and H. 4159 updates standards for telehealth and telemedicine. Importantly, the bill protects pro-life safeguards that prevent abortion drugs from being prescribed through virtual telehealth appointments. 


Second - Cardinal Newman School’s volleyball team was recognized by the House with a resolution for being the 2023 SCISA 4-A State Champions. 

The Catholic Conference applauds the team for their hard work and dedication, and we wish them a great season this year.  

Feb 1

First – The Child Online Safety Act (H. 3424), sponsored by Rep. Travis Moore, passed the House by a vote of 113-1. To view the voting record, click here. The bill is now sent to the Senate for consideration.

Children are exposed to hard-core pornography at the average age of 12 — which means many children are seeing it at even younger ages. The psychological and physical effects are tremendously harmful to all people, but especially to children. Furthermore, pornography is a grave sin because it denies the dignity of the human person. 

“Pornography is a grave offense against God and His gifts to men and women. God created men and women ‘in His image’ to share in His divine life. Rather than respecting and cherishing this image of God, pornography promotes harmful and destructive anthropology. It teaches people to use others as ‘objects’…”  (USCCB).  

H. 3424, like other bills that passed around the country, requires that pornography websites verify the age of the person visiting the site prior to accessing content. 

We thank Rep. Moore for sponsoring the bill and for bringing this critical issue to the House; we thank all lawmakers who supported this bipartisan effort. We call on the Senate to pass the legislation and protect children from the damaging effects of pornography. 


Second – H. 4700, the South Carolina Social Media Regulation Act, passed the House by a vote of 113-1. Click here to view the voting record. This bill has been sent over to the Senate.

H. 4700 would require social media companies to verify the age of its users. Minors could only access social media if they had consent from a parent or guardian. This legislation would protect parents’ rights to decide whether their children have a social media presence. 

The Catholic Conference thanks Rep. Weston Newton for sponsoring this legislation and all who supported it; we challenge the Senate to do the same.