On Thursday, South Carolina's Republican-led Legislature approved the proposal House Bill 4624 to protect children from permanent gender mutilation by a vote of 28 to 8 in the Senate and a vote of 67 to 26 in the House of Representatives.
TO AMEND THE LAW OF SOUTH CAROLINA BY ADDING CHAPTER 42 TO TITLE 44 TO DEFINE GENDER, SEX AND OTHER TERMS, PROHIBITING THE PROVISION OF GENDER TRANSITION PROCEDURES TO A PERSON UNDER EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE, PROVIDING EXCEPTIONS, PROHIBITING THE USE OF GOVERNMENT RESOURCES FOR GENDER TRANSITION PROCEDURES AND TO PROVIDE SANCTIONS; AND BY ADDING SECTION 59-32-36 TO PROHIBIT PUBLIC SCHOOL STAFF AND OFFICIALS FROM KNOWING A MINOR'S PERCEPTION OF THEIR GENDER TO, AMONG OTHER THINGS, FROM THE MINOR'S PARENTS.
The bill prohibits medical professionals from giving puberty-blocking drugs or sex hormones to children under the age of 18. It also bans “genital or non-genital gender reassignment surgery” for minors.
The bill specifies: “A physician, health care provider, or other health care professional shall not knowingly provide gender transition procedures to a person under the age of eighteen.”
Those who break the law risk losing their license.
The bill also strengthens parents' rights and requires schools to immediately notify parents in writing if their child claims to identify as something other than his or her gender or asks to be addressed by transgender pronouns.
Under the bill, school employees are also prohibited from withholding information about children's gender confusion from their parents.
Republican Gov. Henry McMaster has already expressed his support for the bill and his intention to sign it, and the bill would go into effect immediately upon his signing.
A large body of evidence shows that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones cause serious and even life-threatening injuriessuch as cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, infertility, loss of bone density, emotional problems and permanent damage to reproductive organs.
Transgender surgery involves irreversible procedures to remove genitalia and construct synthetic genitalia and other features intended to imitate those of the opposite sex. Research shows that people who undergo so-called 'sex change operations' experience a exponentially higher rate of suicide.
Pediatrician and consultant Dr Hilary Cass has conducted a comprehensive and lengthy review of international research into gender medicine for children for NHS England, which concludes that a lack of research and evidence on medical interventions for transgender people, such as puberty blockers and body reshaping surgery, is a major problem is. failing children.
Cass's earlier findings led to the banning of puberty blockers in children outside of clinical trials in Britain.
