Age of Consent
Sex Education Required by State
Sex Education Type
Medically Accurate Content Required
LGBTQ+ Inclusive
Consent Education Taught
Adult Entertainment
South Carolina's age of consent is 16. There is no close-in-age exemption in South Carolina's primary statutory rape statute. South Carolina Code Section 16-3-655 covers criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
Sex education is required in South Carolina schools but must stress abstinence until marriage as the only acceptable standard. Contraception cannot be discussed except in terms of failure rates. The framework is among the strictest abstinence-only mandates in the country, similar to Mississippi. There is no requirement for medical accuracy, no LGBTQ+ inclusion mandate, and no consent education standard. South Carolina has received federal abstinence-only education funding and structured its curriculum to comply with those funding requirements.
South Carolina's adult entertainment environment is restrictive. Myrtle Beach has historically had a more active adult entertainment industry tied to its tourism economy, but the state has used local ordinances and licensing to limit adult businesses throughout most of the state. The overall state posture is restrictive, and there have been periodic local campaigns to reduce the adult entertainment footprint.
Abstinence-until-marriage required. Cannot discuss contraception except failure rates. Social conservative laws.
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In the News
- State Fights: What to Watch in 2026 - plannedparenthoodaction.orgJan 21
- Extreme abortion ban hearing scheduled for Oct. 1 in South Carolina - ACLU of South CarolinaSep 4
- Midyear 2024 State Policy Trends: Many US States Attack Reproductive Health Care, as Other States Fight Back - Guttmacher InstituteJun 18
- SC House advances bill giving parents more control over children's health care and education - scdailygazette.comFeb 18
- Ignoring the Middle: Legislative Disconnect With South Carolina Public Opinion - League of Women VotersSep 3
Full South Carolina profile
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Sources: NCSL, Guttmacher Institute, SIECUS State Profiles, Wikipedia "Ages of consent in the United States". Laws change — verify current status with official sources.