On Thursday, the South Carolina legislator sent a bill to Republican Governor Henry McMasters' desk that bans doctors from providing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and genital surgery to anyone under the age of 18 years old. The governor is expected to sign it into law.
South Carolina House Bill 4624's ban would begin August 31 with an exemption for minors who are currently taking these drugs, who will have until January 31, 2025, to come off of them. It would not ban the use of puberty blockers for children with precocious puberty or "other procedures unrelated to gender transition."
The bill addresses parental rights and prohibits public school staff members from keeping secrets from them. The bill states that "a nurse, counselor, teacher, principal, or other official or staff at a public school shall not knowingly withhold from a minor's parent or legal guardian information related to the minor's perception that his or her gender is inconsistent with his or her sex."
