COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina House has passed a bill that restricts medical care for transgender minors.
The measure was approved on an 82-23 vote Wednesday night on a second reading. It must go through a third reading--a formality--and then it will be on to the Senate for consideration.
The debate, which lasted several hours, involves a controversial bill that has already seen enactment in 20 other states, including Georgia and North Carolina.
The bill– dubbed the "Help Not Harm" Bill--aims to prohibit minors in South Carolina from undergoing "gender-transition procedures," such as surgeries, hormone therapy, and puberty blockers – regardless of parental permission.
"There are few things we do as legislators that are more important than protecting vulnerable children,” said Representative John McCravy (R- Greenwood County). “Even if we’re no longer doing surgeries in South Carolina and we haven't gotten to that point yet, we need to be proactive and pass this bill to protect our children before it happens.”
The proposed legislation bans state dollars from funding these procedures and restricts Medicaid coverage for individuals younger than 27 in South Carolina.
Republicans argue that the bill is designed to protect minors. Representative RJ May (R-Lexington County) questioned whether taxpayers should fund other lifestyles, suggesting, "Are there any other lifestyles you'd like taxpayers to fund – perhaps, drug addicts?"
Under this bill, healthcare providers have the option to gradually taper off hormones or puberty blockers, with prescriptions set to end by January 31, 2025.
Democrats counter that the legislature should not intervene in the doctor-patient relationship.
"Those of you who got elected that talked about small government and reducing the size of government but then come up here and do everything you can to make government bigger against anybody that you don't like, well, that's called hypocrisy,” said Representative Todd Rutherford (D- Richland County).
“This treatment is the same as anything else and so for us to sit here, to have 124 legislators, none of which are medical doctors, dictate in a statute what a standard of care is, is reckless and it’s wrong,” said Rep. Seth Rose (D-Richland County).
The proposal also addresses school officials, preventing them from withholding a student's chosen gender identity from legal guardians.
“The way I read that is– if I don’t tell them, then I’m withholding it. That’s not a good place to put our teachers,” said Rep. Russell Ott (D-Calhoun County).
Once passed by the House, the bill will proceed to the Senate for approval.
New estimates from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law suggest there are approximately 3,700 transgender youth between the ages of 13 and 17 in South Carolina.