South Carolina H 3118: Call Me Mister

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3118 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 06, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3118

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING CHAPTER 
23 TO TITLE 63 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT PARENTS HAVE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS REGARDING 
THE UPBRINGING, EDUCATION, AND CARE OF THEIR CHILDREN; TO DEFINE NECESSARY TERMS; 
TO LIMIT THE ABILITY OF THE GOVERNMENT TO INFRINGE ON PARENTAL RIGHTS; TO 
IDENTIFY CERTAIN FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF PARENTS; TO REQUIRE THAT SCHOOL 
DISTRICTS CREATE PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICIES; TO PROHIBIT HEALTHCARE 
PROVIDERS FROM SOLICITING OR PROVIDING HEALTHCARE SERVICES TO CHILDREN WITHOUT 
WRITTEN PARENTAL CONSENT; TO PROVIDE THAT THE CHAPTER'S PROVISIONS SUPERSEDE 
STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS; AND TO CREATE A CAUSE OF ACTION FOR VIOLATIONS 
OF THIS CHAPTER; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 63-5-340, RELATING TO THE AGE AT WHICH 
A MINOR MAY CONSENT TO HEALTH SERVICES, SO AS TO RAISE THE AGE TO EIGHTEEN.

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Title 63 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

CHAPTER 23

Parental Bill of Rights

 Section 
63-23-110. The General Assembly finds that:

 (1) parents 
have a fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their 
children;

 (2) important 
information relating to a child should not be withheld, either inadvertently or 
purposefully, from his or her parent, including information relating to the 
child's health, well being, and education, while the child is in the custody of 
the school district; and

 (3) it 
is necessary to establish a consistent mechanism for parents to be notified of 
information relating to the health and well being of their children.

 Section 
63-23-120. For purposes of this chapter:

 (1) "Child" 
means a person under the age of eighteen.

 (2) "Healthcare 
provider" means a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, or physician 
assistant licensed to practice in this State pursuant to Articles 1 and 7, 
Chapter 47, Title 40 and Article 1, Chapter 33, Title 40, respectively.

 (3) "Instructional 
materials" means any textbooks or other instructional material adopted by the 
State Board of Education or a local school district or school, and may include 
other materials used in the classroom, including workbooks and worksheets, 
handouts, software, applications, and any digital media made available to 
students.

 (4) "Parent" 
means a biological parent, adoptive parent, legal guardian, or other person 
with legal custody of a child.

 Section 
63-23-130. The State, political subdivisions of the State, public school 
districts, other governmental entities, and other institutions shall not 
infringe on the fundamental rights of a parent to direct the upbringing, 
education, healthcare, and mental healthcare of his or her child without 
demonstrating that the action is reasonable and necessary to achieve a 
compelling state interest as applied to the parent and child; narrowly tailored 
to achieve the compelling state interest; and not otherwise served by a less 
restrictive means.

 Section 
63-23-140. (A) All parental rights 
are reserved to the parent of a child in this State without obstruction or 
interference from the State, political subdivisions of the State, public school 
districts, other governmental entities, or other institutions, including:

 (1) 
the right to direct the education and care of his or her child;

 (2) 
the right to direct the upbringing and the moral or religious training of his 
or her child;

 (3) 
the right to apply to enroll his or her child in a public school or, as an 
alternative to public education, a private school, including a religious 
school, a home education program, or other available options, as authorized by 
law;

 (4) 
the right to access and review all school records relating to his or her child;

 (5) 
the right to make physical and mental healthcare decisions for his or her 
child, unless otherwise prohibited by court order;

 (6) 
the right to access and review all medical records of his or her child, unless 
prohibited by court order or if the parent is the subject of an investigation 
of a crime committed against the child and a law enforcement agency or official 
requests that the information not be released;

 (7) 
the right to consent in writing before a biometric scan of his or her child is 
made, shared, or stored;

 (8) 
the right to consent in writing before any record of his or her child's blood 
or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is created, stored, or shared, except as 
authorized pursuant to a court order;

 (9) 
the right to consent in writing before the State, a political subdivision of 
the State, or a public school district or public school makes a video or voice 
recording o