South Carolina Enacts Ban on Gender Transition Procedures for Under-18s!
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed legislation prohibiting healthcare practitioners from offering gender transition services to anybody under the age of 18.
The Help Not Harm law, H.4624, applies to physicians and mental health providers and establishes various classifications, including gender transition operations and genital gender reassignment surgery. It also prevents the South Carolina Medicaid Program from reimbursing or covering gender reassignment surgeries, and public funds from “directly or indirectly” paying “gender transition procedures.”
The Republican governor reportedly announced Tuesday’s legislative signing on X.com, which was previously known as Twitter.
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“Time and again, we see the most harmful policies from the Left come after the most vulnerable amongst us,” SCGOP Chairman Drew McKissick said in a statement. However, South Carolina’s Republican lawmakers and Governor McMaster have repeatedly defended individuals in need. This time, it was for our children, and the risky procedures and permanent consequences of ‘gender reassignment’ surgery.”
“When it comes to our kids, Republicans in South Carolina will fight tirelessly to help, not harm,” McKissick said. “And today, that’s exactly what we did.”
Opponents claimed lawmakers chose to pass the bill although hundreds of South Carolinians testified against it and medical groups and doctors condemned it.
“We stand in grief and solidarity with LGBTQ South Carolinians, who are increasingly under attack by our government,” said Jace Woodrum, executive director of the ACLU of South Carolina, in a statement.
“We can put to rest the notion that the governor cares about limited government and personal freedom,” said Woodrum. “With the stroke of a pen, he has chosen to insert the will of politicians into health care decisions, trample on the liberties of trans-South Carolinians, and deny the rights of the parents of trans minors.”