South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has officially signed a bill prohibiting transgender procedures and treatments for minors. The law, referred to as the “Help Not Harm” bill, makes South Carolina the 25th state to pass such legislation aimed at curtailing controversial gender transitioning treatments for children.
The law prohibits medical professionals from performing gender-transition surgeries and administering puberty blockers or hormone treatments to patients under 18. However, there are some exceptions; for instance, a doctor can prescribe a puberty blocker to a child with a medical condition causing early onset puberty.
Additionally, the law mandates schools to inform parents if their child requests the use of a different name or pronouns. Governor McMaster tweeted his support for the law, stating that the “Help Not Harm” bill protects children from irreversible gender transition procedures and prohibits the use of public funds for such treatments.
This new law follows a global trend pushing back against the promotion of transgender transitions in children. For instance, the National Health Service (NHS) in England recently declared it will no longer prescribe puberty blockers to children, citing serious safety concerns.