South Carolina House Committee Advances Youth Transgender Bill

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Members of the S.C. House of Representatives’ medical, military, and municipal affairs (3M) committee have advanced H.4624, a bill prohibiting physicians from providing gender transition procedures to minors, and preventing school officials from withholding a student’s chosen gender identity from their parents.

Those familiar with the legislative process know scheduling is everything. Much can be inferred by leadership’s decision to put this bill before the 3M subcommittee on the first day the General Assembly returned to Columbia.

Planned Parenthood south Atlantic director Vicki Ringer hit the nail on the head in her testimony at the subcommittee level.

“The makeup of the board indicates that nothing I say will matter,” Ringer said. “The fact that we have a full committee meeting tomorrow suggests the same.”

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Ringer’s prediction proved prescient when, after 48 speakers and more than two hours of testimony (mostly opposing the legislation) – members voted to advance the bill with amendments to the full committee.

The bill was amended by state representative Heath Sessions to clarify that mental health care providers are not regulated by the bill.

State representative Jordan Pace spoke the next day prior to the full committee’s vote telling the committee “I ran on protecting these kids from self harm.”

Pace referenced the numerous harrowing stories told in subcommittee on Monday.

“The association between anxiety, suicidal ideations all of that goes along with this – to encourage that is harming them,” Pace said. “You would not tell someone with anorexia … that they are overweight if they’re 5-foot-5 and weigh 100 pounds, we would not encourage them to get (lap band surgery) so that they would feel better about themselves. You would help them understand that the reality does not match what they perceive, particularly if they’re a minor, particularly if they’re a child.”

The 3M committee accepted the subcommittee’s amendments and advanced the bill.

While the house has certainly dealt a blow to the those supporting the gender transition of minors, it seems as though the S.C. Senate is less eager to advance the issue. The senate’s transgender legislation, S.243, was notably not scheduled for discussion during its first medical affairs’ subcommittee meeting.

If last year’s abortion debate is any indication, it may be substantially more difficult to advance socially divisive legislation through the Senate. For now, H.4624 is up for debate by the full House – and if our interpretation of leadership’s intentions are correct, readers should expect the full body to take up the issue quickly.

Stay tuned for FITSNews’ further coverage of this issue as it advances through the legislative process.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

(Via: Travis Bell)

Dylan Nolan is the director of special projects at FITSNews. He graduated from the Darla Moore school of business in 2021 with an accounting degree. Got a tip or story idea for Dylan? Email him here. You can also engage him socially @DNolan2000.

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