Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley on Anti-Transgender Healthcare Bans: ‘I Think the Law Should Stay Out of It’
Comments by former South Carolina Governor and GOP Presidential primary candidate Nikki Haley on CBS Mornings circulated widely online today as medically necessary healthcare for transgender youth appeared in headlines. In the interview, when asked about how the law should handle gender-affirming care for transgender youth, Haley said, “I think the law should stay out of it and parents should handle it.”
The comments are especially noteworthy coming from Haley, who has spoken in favor of anti-transgender legislation that discriminates against transgender student athletes and requires schools to “out” LGBTQ+ students to parents, even before they may be ready.
Recent polling shows that 55% of likely U.S. voters agreed that state lawmakers “should not be allowed to implement full bans on abortion and gender-affirming medical care, and place criminal penalties on physicians who provide this care.” And in South Carolina, polling consistently shows that 68% of residents say they support protecting LGBTQ+ people from discrimination.
Jace Woodrum (he/him pronouns), a leader in the SC United for Justice & Equality coalition who also serves as Executive Director of the ACLU of South Carolina, said today:
“Bans on medically necessary healthcare for transgender youth are extremely unpopular, and candidates facing elections in 2024 are finally starting to see the writing on the wall. Nikki Haley’s comments about lawmakers staying out of this critical healthcare are part of a growing wave of public opinion from Americans who understand that the government has no place inserting itself in medical decisions that should be left to families.
“As South Carolinians face a new barrage of legislative attempts to ban best-practice medical care for trans youth in 2024, we must join together in opposition and harness the power of the strong majority in our state who support the dignity and equality of all South Carolinians.”
South Carolina is among a small number of Southern states that does not have a statewide law restricting medically necessary healthcare for transgender youth. Several bans were debated in the SC legislature in 2023 but failed to pass, experiencing significant opposition from the public and from legislators. Additional extreme bills have been pre-filed for consideration in the 2024 legislative session.
The SC United for Justice and Equality coalition, representing more than 30 LGBTQ+ organizations across the state, is leading efforts to defeat these and other anti-LGBTQ attacks.