South Dakota Senate Passes Ban on Transgender Surgeries and Hormone Treatments for Minors

On Thursday, the South Dakota Senate sent a bill to protect minors from gender-transition surgeries and treatment to Gov. Kristi Noem’s desk (R.), was signed by the Governor in a 30-4 vote.

Noem is expected sign the bill next week. It prohibits health care professionals from prescribing hormones that affect puberty, such as cross-gender hormones and gender transition surgeries to children younger than 18. The bill was passed on the same day that a whistleblower report had prompted Senator Josh Hawley (R. Mo.). The Missouri attorney general to launch Investigation into St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s Transgender Center “egregious abuses and potential malpractice” regarding gender treatment on minors. Another 21 states are currently considering legislation similar to prevent youth from undergoing gender reassignment.

“We care deeply about children who are struggling with their identity and want to provide them with true, meaningful help, not permanent physical damage,” The bill’s sponsor, Al Novstrup (R.), was announced Thursday by state senator Al Novstrup.

The state senate rejected a proposal by Sen. Tim Reed (R.), to allow puberty blocking drugs under the law, in its final hearing. Reed claimed that the drugs can calm down anxiety in children while they receive counseling. Novstrup called on legislators to block the amendment. Novstrup referenced a 12-page Swedish medical report that highlighted 22 serious side effects associated with the drug.

“Puberty’s a scary time. … There’s a lot of questions, lot of doubts, lot of confusion … but it’s no reason to stop it, it’s a reason to work your way through it,” Sen. John Wiik (R.) said.

“I think what we’re doing here is a real injustice to the work that we should be doing,” Sen. Shawn Bordeaux (D.) said. “It feels like from the comments I hear from young people like we’re picking on them and we have other things up here that should be more important.”

Noem’s chief of communications, Ian Fury, Telled The Daily Signal In January, the governor supported the legislation.