South-Carolina

South Carolina House OKs ban on gender-affirming care for minors

Published

11 months ago

January 17, 2024

South Carolina House OKs ban on gender-affirming care for minors

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A proposed ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors was overwhelmingly approved Wednesday by the Republican-led South Carolina House.

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The measure would bar health professionals from performing gender-transition surgeries, prescribing puberty-blocking drugs and overseeing hormone treatments for patients under 18 years old.

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The 82-23 vote came as Republican-led statehouses nationwide are restricting transgender people’s access to health care, sports leagues and bathrooms that align with their identity.

The South Carolina measure will soon head to the state Senate.

Transgender South Carolina residents, their families and doctors have strenuously opposed the bill, saying gender-affirming treatment can be lifesaving.

They emphasize that people younger than 18 do not receive gender-transition surgeries in South Carolina and hormone treatments begin only after extensive consultation with health professionals.

Still, Republican lawmakers said they needed to protect children from medical practices that they consider experimental and irreversible.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina lawmakers on Wednesday debated proposed restrictions on health care for transgender youth, while a Missouri legislative committee discussed a slew of like-minded proposals.

The measures’ consideration in the two GOP strongholds highlights the continued interest among conservative lawmakers in targeting issues that impact LGBTQ residents after a wave of high-profile bills last year.

South Carolina is one of the few Southern states without a ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Its Republican-dominated House began debating a bill Wednesday that would bar health professionals from performing gender-transition surgeries, prescribing puberty-blocking drugs and overseeing hormone treatments for patients under 18 years old. People under 26 years old could not use Medicaid to cover the costs for such care and school employees could not withhold knowledge of a student’s transgender identity from their legal guardians.

Doctors and parents told lawmakers last week that such treatment can be lifesaving, allowing young transgender people to live more fulfilling lives. Indeed, research has shown that transgender youth and adults are prone to stress, depression and suicidal behavior when forced to live as the sex they were assigned at birth.

Yet Republican South Carolina Rep. John McCravy, a co-sponsor of the bill, claimed Wednesday that “unpublished evidence” shows puberty blockers increase self-harm. He described transgender children as “mentally disturbed youth” in need of protection from “mutilation” — a narrative that expert panels in the nation’s major medical associations have said is false.

Democrats tried to cut the provision that blocks Medicaid coverage for children and young adults seeking gender-confirming treatments. Democratic South Carolina Rep. Marvin Pendarvis said Republicans should stick to their stated goal of protecting children and should not also limit adults’ health care access.

“Is it really about protecting minors or is it about attacking a group of people that you don’t agree with their lifestyle?” Pendarvis asked.

Republican South Carolina Rep. RJ May, the vice chair of the state’s ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, compared public funding for any transition surgeries — regardless of the patient’s age — to public funding for “lifestyles” like drug addiction.

Some other Republicans failed to add more definite penalties. The bill allows medical licensing boards to discipline health care professionals who provide the banned treatments. It does not expose medical providers to criminal liability as in Florida or civil liability as in Georgia.

In Missouri, a House committee on Wednesday was debating a slate of anti-transgender legislation, even though Republican legislative leaders have said LGBTQ -related bills are not a top priority this session. Lawmakers last year passed a partial ban on gender-affirming health care treatments for minors and limits on what sports teams student athletes can join based on the sex they were assigned at birth.

New measures would regulate public school bathroom use and define male and female in state laws as being based on a person’s sex assigned at birth.

Another proposal would apply the ban on gender-affirming health care to all minors and repeal its 2027 expiration date.

Republican Missouri Rep. Brad Hudson, who proposed last year’s ban, said there should have never been a “sunset” in the first place.

Democratic Missouri Rep. David Tyson Smith said legislation aimed at transgender people is a campaign tactic to attract Republican votes. Smith said it’s “time we turn the page.”

“For this to dominate the airwaves over and over again, it’s too much,” Smith said.

The bills are among dozens this year in red states designed to restrict medical care for transgender youth — and in some cases, adults — or to govern the pronouns students can use at school, which sports teams they can play on, and the bathrooms they can use, along with efforts to restrict drag performances and some books and school curriculums.

At least 22 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, and many of those states face lawsuits. Courts have issued mixed rulings. Enforcement is blocked in three states and enforcement is allowed in seven others. The Ohio Senate later this month is expected to override Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto of that state’s ban.

Major medical groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, oppose the bans and have endorsed such care, saying it’s safe when administered properly.

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Ballentine contributed from Jefferson City, Mo. Pollard is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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South-Carolina

South Carolina gas prices creep up ahead of holiday travel, end of year

Published

4 hours ago

December 23, 2024

Press Room

South Carolina gas prices creep up ahead of holiday travel, end of year

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – Gas prices in South Carolina are pretty steady heading into a week notorious for holiday travel, with only a slight uptick in cost.

In the state, average prices are up but 0.8 cents per gallon in the past week, leaving motorists in the Lowcountry with an average gas price of $2.72 per gallon, according to GasBuddy’s survey of over 3,000 stations in South Carolina.

South Carolina’s gas prices are 2.9 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and 12.6 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

Click here to find the cheapest gas in your neighborhood.

In the Lowcountry, Monday morning’s lowest recorded gas price was found at a Murphy USA in Goose Creek, located at 603 St. James Avenue with a gallon going for $2.66. Saturday night, GasBuddy also recorded a price of $2.52 per gallon at a North Charleston Circle K located at 8410 Dorchester Road.

Statewide, the cheapest gallon of gas was selling for $2.33 while the most expensive cost $3.32, just barely missing the mark of a full dollar margin.

“We’ve seen a second consecutive weekly rise in the national average, driven by price cycling that led stations in the Great Lakes region to restore their margins to normal levels ahead of millions of motorists traveling for Christmas,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said.

“With oil prices continuing to move sideways, gas prices may hold near recent levels in the coming week… As families travel for the holidays, this volatility at the pump serves as a great reminder to check prices before filling up to save as much as 25 to 50 cents per gallon—a trend that will likely persist into 2025,” De Haan said. “As we close out the year, motorists can look forward to some good news at the pump in 2025.”

On the national level, gas prices rose 3.1 cents per gallon last week, with gas prices seeing an overall average of $3.01 per gallon.

That average is down 2.6 cents per gallon from a month ago and 9.2 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

Diesel prices have also seen a small rise to the tune of 0.6 cents per gallon in the past week, leaving an average price at the pump of $3.478 per gallon.

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South-Carolina

Former South Carolina wide receiver finds transfer portal landing spot

Published

12 hours ago

December 23, 2024

Press Room

Former South Carolina wide receiver finds transfer portal landing spot

On Sunday, former South Carolina wide receiver Tyshawn Russell signed with the Syracuse Orange. On3’s Pete Nakos reported the news.

Russell entered the transfer portal earlier this month after not factoring into the receiver room with the Gamecocks this year. He played a decent amount in 2023 before dropping in the pecking order ahead of the 2024 campaign. Russell will join a Syracuse team that finished 9-3 this fall.

During his time with the Gamecocks, Russell logged five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. His one score came on a 50-yard bomb from LaNorris Sellers in 2023. However, he flashed more promise than those numbers might indicate. Thanks to a redshirt this season, he will have three more years of eligibility remaining.

South Carolina Transfer Portal Resources:

Russell was not the only receiver to leave Columbia via the transfer portal this offseason. Fellow second-year players CJ Adams and Elijah Caldwell also hit the portal. Neither Adams nor Caldwell have committed to new programs yet. True freshman Debron Gatling also entered the transfer portal, but he has since committed to Georgia Tech.

South Carolina has been in on several wide receiver targets in the transfer portal, though, they have already filled those vacated scholarship spots with true freshmen Malik Clark, Jordon Gidron, Brian Rowe, Jayden Sellers, and Lex Cyrus. The Gamecocks have five wideouts signed in the class of 2025 and could have a sixth coming soon if Donovan Murph picks USC during the Under Armour All-American Game in January.

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Gamecocks Motivated About Citrus Bowl Opportunity

Published

20 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Gamecocks Motivated About Citrus Bowl Opportunity

As South Carolina prepares for its Citrus Bowl matchup against Illinois, the message from players is clear: this team isn’t just happy to be in Orlando.

The No. 15 Gamecocks (9-3) have their sights set on a historic tenth win, which would mark only the eighth time in program history the team has reached double-digit victories. Despite the disappointment of missing the expanded College Football Playoff, players emphasized their focus has shifted entirely to ending the season on a high note against the Fighting Illini (9-3).

“It’s just another chance to play with my teammates. All of them are like my brothers, even the coaching staff,” said defensive lineman Boogie Huntley, who confirmed earlier this week that he will play in the bowl game. “It’s just another opportunity to go out and have fun, show the nation and the world who South Carolina is.”

The Gamecocks enter the December 31 matchup at Camping World Stadium riding high after their victory over rival Clemson, a game that produced several players’ favorite moments of the season. Linebacker Debo Williams cited quarterback LaNorris Sellers’ game-winning touchdown run against the Tigers as his top memory, while Demetrius Knight Jr. still possesses the ball from his crucial interception to seal the rivalry win.

Sellers, whose heroics in the Clemson game have made him something of a campus celebrity, has maintained his focus despite the increased attention. “I trust him,” Sellers said of his relationship with coach Mike Shula, who was officially confirmed as the team’s new offensive coordinator earlier this week. “He’s coached a lot of guys and has a history with a lot of guys in the NFL. It’s about him trusting me and us continuing to have a great relationship from here on out.”

The defense, which has been a strength all season, appears motivated to finish strong. Safety Nick Emmanwori emphasized the team’s desire to approach this game differently than other teams who missed the playoff. “We want to come with a different mental approach,” Emmanwori said, noting the team is using the playoff snub as motivation.

For seniors like Tonka Hemingway, who recently won the Ray Tanner award, the bowl game represents one final opportunity to represent the school. “I’m really excited to put on the Garnet and black one more time and just leave it all out there,” Hemingway said.

South Carolina enters the game as an 9.5-point favorite against an Illinois team led by former Ole Miss quarterback Luke Altmyer, who has thrown for over 2,500 yards and 21 touchdowns this season. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. on ABC, as the Gamecocks seek to close out what has already been a memorable season with one more victory.

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