Subcommittee advances parental-rights bill after amendments following hours of testimony

A South Carolina House medical subcommittee on Tuesday advanced House Bill H4757, the Parental Rights Act, sending the measure to the full committee after a recorded 4–2 vote.

The vote came after more than three hours of public testimony and committee discussion from parents, advocacy groups and medical professionals. The panel adopted two technical amendments that a committee member said came from stakeholder talks: an opt-out/consent provision for collection, storage and sharing of noninvasive vision and hearing screening data and clarifications about what counts as classroom instruction and teacher/counselor evaluations.

Supporters of H4757, including Christy Dixon, a Berkeley County parent and parental-rights advocate, said the bill would restore clarity and ensure parents’ ability to direct their children’s upbringing, education and medical care. "Parents have the fundamental right and responsibility to direct the upbringing, education and health care of their children," Dixon said in testimony urging the committee to pass the bill.

Opponents included pediatricians, educators and youth advocates who said the bill could harm vulnerable students and complicate clinical care. Dr. Amalia Luxardo, CEO of the Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network, told the subcommittee the bill would ‘‘increase barriers to reproductive, prenatal, and postpartum care for teens’’ by making parental permission the default for more services. ‘‘When confidentiality is reduced, care happens later and delayed care means higher risk for both young parents and their babies,’’ Luxardo said.

Representatives from the South Carolina chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics urged rejection. Dr. Martha Edwards, the chapter’s president, said the measure would insert legislative mandates into exam rooms and ‘‘substitute legislative mandate for medical judgment.’’ She and other clinicians warned H4757 could impede testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections and other time-sensitive care.

Committee discussion focused on implementation details and the bill’s medical-age thresholds. Representative Waters said the measure, even after amendments, would impose significant administrative burdens on local education agencies. "The complaints filed were astronomical from parents," Waters said, describing the workload that could arise from new complaint and review timelines and the downstream staffing costs for districts.

The chair described the amendments as stakeholder-informed efforts to narrow and clarify the bill. Amendment 1 added language about consent for data collected in noninvasive vision and hearing screenings; Amendment 2 clarified references to classroom instruction, records and complaint procedures. Both amendments passed on recorded votes.

With the amendments approved, the committee voted to advance H4757 to the full committee with four members in favor and two opposed. The bill will next face full committee consideration, where sponsors and opponents indicated they expect further negotiation over scope, carve-outs and operational details.