Conway attorney Regina Ward highlighted the need for legislation against “coercive control” in a press conference discussing the tragic death of Mica Miller, who reportedly suffered psychological abuse during her marriage to John-Paul Miller. Mica’s death, ruled a suicide, has brought attention to the severe impacts of non-physical domestic abuse.
Ward emphasized that coercive control—characterized by behaviors such as isolating victims from their support networks, controlling their daily activities, and financial abuse—can severely undermine a person’s mental health and self-worth. She advocated for the revival and passage of a coercive control bill in South Carolina, suggesting it be named “Mica’s Law.”
A bill criminalizing coercive control was initially introduced in South Carolina four years ago but has not progressed past the Judiciary Committee, currently chaired by Senator Luke Rankin. Ward urged lawmakers to prioritize this legislation, arguing it could provide law enforcement with the necessary tools to identify and address non-physical forms of domestic abuse.
Coercive control laws, already enacted in states like California, Connecticut, and Hawaii, define such behaviors comprehensively, covering actions from monitoring a person’s time and communications to threats and financial abuse. Advocates believe that passing similar legislation in South Carolina could prevent tragedies like Mica Miller’s and protect others from the insidious effects of psychological abuse.