Florence shooting victim, anti-abortion activist among SC's State of the Union guests

Feb. 4--COLUMBIA, S.C. -- A South Carolina police officer shot during a deadly ambush and a national anti-abortion activist are among the guests picked by the Palmetto State's congressmen to attend President Donald Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday.

U.S. Rep. Tom Rice, a Myrtle Beach Republican, announced Thursday he would bring Sarah Miller, a sheriff's deputy who was shot in October 2018 while trying to execute a search warrant on a home in Florence.

Miller was in the hospital for more than two weeks after the shooting. She was among the officers who went to a Florence home to execute a search warrant. They were met by a hail of gunfire in an ambush that left two officers dead and six others injured.

Accused of shooting the officers, Frederick Hopkins, faces murder and attempted murder charges and is being held at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Richland County.

After leaving the hospital, Miller returned back to work at the sheriff's office.

"Sarah Miller is such an inspiration to all of us," Rice said, according to a statement. "Her courage, sacrifice, and determination to return to service is the true definition of a hero. She demonstrates the ability to overcome such tragedy and loss."

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham will bring National Right to Life president Carol Tobias as his guest to the event. Tobias, a North Dakota Native, has been on the board of one of the largest anti-abortion groups in the U.S. since 1987.

The Seneca Republican chose to bring Tobias because "she is a longtime friend and ally in the pro-life movement," Graham spokesman Kevin Bishop said.

At past State of the Union addresses, Trump has called for legislation championed by National Right to Life, including a ban on late abortion whose supporters argue that fetuses can feel pain.

U.S. Rep. William Timmons also invited an anti-abortion advocate.

The Greenville Republican chose Karen Iacovelli Forster, the Chairwoman of Christian Creative Media and producer of the pro-life play "Viable," to be his guest.

U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham is bringing a pharmacist from the Ralph Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, who had to use her paid time off and sick leave to go on maternity leave, according to a statement from the Charleston Democrat's office. The pharmacist, Alison Martin, is currently pregnant with her second child and will have to go on leave without pay to go on maternity leave, according to the statement.

"Guaranteeing access to paid parental leave isn't just good policy, it's personal. The birth of my son was one of the most joyous times in my life -- and every parent deserves the chance to spend time with their newborn without being forced to forgo a paycheck or worry about making ends meet," Cunningham said in the statement. "Ensuring working families like Alison's have the resources, flexibility, and support they need to care for their children isn't a Democratic or Republican value, it's an American one."

Cunningham applauded the passage of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which had a section that guaranteed 12 weeks of parental leave for federal employees. Trump signed the act, and it will go into affect October 2020.

U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, a Rock Hill Republican, is bringing his wife, Elaine, as his guest, an office spokesperson said. Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, of Springdale, will also bring his wife, Roxanne.

U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, a Columbia Democrat, will not be bringing a guest.

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