Spencer’s legislative advocacy
In late February, Tessa Spencer testified before a South Carolina Senate panel about trying to take her son Julian to a hospital during a mental-health episode, according to the WCIV report. Doctors could not treat him without his consent. The South Carolina Daily Gazette reported that a bipartisan bill intended to give parents more options in some mental-health emergencies involving adult children advanced unanimously out of a Senate panel.
Accounts described different versions of Senate Bill 862. WCIV reported that a revised version would allow parents to intervene at any age, regardless of insurance coverage. An earlier version of the bill posted on the South Carolina Legislature’s website applied to people over 18 who qualified as dependents and were covered by a parent’s health insurance. WACH described the measure as giving parents limited authority in emergencies involving young adults diagnosed with mental illness.
The appearance and organization
Spencer appeared on The Breakfast Club in an episode that aired Thursday and is available on Netflix, WCIV reported. The station said she discussed Save Our Sons and Daughters SC, the nonprofit she founded after Julian died by suicide. Its work includes youth mentorship, mental-health awareness, community engagement and early intervention, according to WCIV.
WCIV also reported that Spencer plans to expand the nonprofit into several states.
