BIG STORY: S.C. House passes youth restrictions on gender-affirming care

Staff reports  |  The S.C. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a controversial ban on gender-affirming care for kids and teens in South Carolina after a six-hour debate. The 82-23 vote split largely along party lines in favor of the restrictions. 

The bill (H. 4624), which conservatives claim would “help not harm” youths, would bar health professionals from performing gender-transition surgeries, prescribing puberty-blocking drugs and overseeing hormone treatments for patients younger than 18 years. Additionally, people under 26 could not use Medicaid to cover the costs for such care and school employees could not withhold knowledge of a student’s transgender identity from their legal guardians. 

“This bill is central to our mission to safeguard minors from irreversible gender transition procedures, including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries,” S.C. Rep. Bill Taylor, R-Aiken, wrote to constituents after the bill passed.  “These procedures can have life-altering effects, including risks of sterility and well-documented mental health issues.”

Institutional discrimination?

But state Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, D-Colleton, said the bill seemed to be institutionalized discrimination.

“My initial thoughts were that this  bill is another example of the MAGA/GOP wasting critical legislative time on a non-issue,” she told Statehouse Report.  “When we should be tackling more important educational, infrastructure, insurance and budget issues, the so-called ‘less government control party’ is taking more liberties by forcing ‘big government’ on our families. 

“This bill is akin to the outlandish ‘separate bathroom’ bills that have come out of that chamber.  What’s next ‘tar and feather’ the LGBTQ?”

Chase Glenn, executive director of the Alliance for Full Acceptance in Charleston, added the measure was a cruel bill that targeted innocent children.

“The bill wasn’t even penned by South Carolina legislators, but rather written by a special interest hate group (Alliance Defending Freedom) that has made it their business to peddle this bill and other types of anti-LGBTQ legislation to receptive state lawmakers across the country,” Glenn said.  “Why? Because they are using the trans kids as pawns in their political games.  

“If they truly cared for children, they would not waste time and resources on fabricated issues, when there are many more pressing priorities that could directly impact the over one-million children in South Carolina.”

On Wednesday, ACLU-SC Executive Director Jace Woodrum criticized the House for passing the bill.  

“They ignored doctors, mental health professionals and parents — and decided that they know best,” he said.

Last week according to a story on South Carolina Public Radio, doctors and parents told lawmakers about the benefits of treatments for transgender youth. They said research showed transgender youth and adults were prone to stress, depression and suicidal behavior when forced to live as the sex they were assigned at birth.

Glenn added that a 2022 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed youth who received gender-affirming care for a year – including puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormones – saw significant reductions in depression and suicidal behavior after care.

“The sponsors of this bill claim that gender-affirming care is causing harm to children, when it is in fact these very legislators who are perpetrating the harm by removing a parents’ rights to seek this medically necessary care for their child,” Glenn said. “If this bill is signed into law, there will be grave consequences.”

The House bill has been assigned to the Senate Medical Affairs Committee for consideration.  

• Have a comment?  Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.