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South Carolina’s Republican governor, Henry McMaster, signed a bill on Tuesday that bars health professionals from performing gender-transition surgeries, prescribing puberty blocking drugs and overseeing hormone treatments for patients under 18. The state now joins about two dozen others that have passed laws restricting or banning what doctors call gender-affirming care for minors. The law, which goes into effect immediately, also requires principals, teachers and other school staff members to tell parents when their children want to use a name other than their legal one, or pronouns that do not match their sex assigned at birth. (Hassan, 5/21)

Treatment for mental health and substance use disorders can add up quickly. A new bill signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday aims to make sure insurance covers mental health treatments like physical health services. "Insurance can cover anywhere from $60 an hour to $200 an hour, so if you're thinking of something that is ongoing and maybe even weekly, that can really add up," said Duane Breijak, executive director of the National Association of Social Workers Michigan. (Meyers, 5/21)

The Iowa City-based Domestic Violence Intervention Program is launching a council that will shape its new comprehensive sexual assault services. DVIP agreed to provide these services after the University of Iowa announced in early April that it is closing the Rape Victim Advocacy Program. RVAP’s last day of operation is Sept. 30. Between now and then, DVIP’s new advisory council will determine how it will fill the gap. (Smith, 5/20)

A new study revealed the top 10 best and worst states for childbirth, based on nine criteria, including the cost of health care and child care, maternal and infant mortality rates, and postpartum expenses — which were determined by data produced by the CDC and the Health Care Cost Institute, among others. The Birth Injury Lawyers Group, based in Arizona, analyzed all 50 states. Each state received a score ranging from 40 to 100, with a final composite score from 40 to 85, based on the importance of various criteria, in order to evaluate the best and worst states to give birth in 2024. (Regalbuto, 5/21)

The search for the gunman behind last October’s mass shooting in Maine was marked by “utter chaos,” including one group of deputies who had been drinking nearly crashing their armored vehicle and others showing up in civilian clothes who could have been mistaken for the suspect, according to an after-action report obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press. (Sharp, 5/21)