PIERRE — A last-ditch effort to soften a proposed ban on transgender therapies and surgeries for minors in South Dakota fell short this week in the state Legislature.
House Bill 1080, which heads to Gov. Kristi Noem’s desk following the Senate’s 30-4 vote to adopt Thursday afternoon, prohibits the use of puberty blockers, cross sex hormones and gender-altering surgeries for people under the age of 18.
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Heavily opposed by the medical community and the progressive left, the measure has been criticized as “anti-transgender” and discriminatory. And its ban on puberty blockers even brought consternation to the Republican-dominated Legislature.
Sen. Tim Reed, R-Brookings, unsuccessfully attempted to remove puberty blockers from the list of treatments banned in the bill.
“I agree that surgery and hormone therapy should not happen before a person is 18 years old,” he said. “But puberty blockers can calm a child’s anxiety so therapy can begin.”
Reed could not get enough of his colleagues on board to get the amendment passed, with just eight others standing in support.
Senators in opposition said they worry that the effects of puberty blockers — like surgeries and cross sex hormones — could be irreversible.
Sen. John Wiik, R-Big Stone City, said youth struggling with gender dysphoria need support from their friends and families as they progress through puberty, not to have puberty stopped.
“It’s a tough time in life and, like I said, it’s scary. But just like everything else, all you can do is go through it one day at a time,” he said. “Taking drugs is not the answer.”
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HB-1080’s passage, if signed by the governor, is expected to draw litigation from civil rights organizations. The American Civil Liberty Union this week issued a news release calling the bill “government overreach” that is sex-based discrimination.
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“This bill represents vast government overreach that undermines the fundamental rights of parents, and by singling out gender-affirming care for categorical prohibition, House Bill 1080 violates the guarantees of equal protection and due process,” said Samantha Chapman, ACLU of South Dakota advocacy manager. “Medical experts, parents, transgender youth and advocates from across the state have been speaking up in an attempt to stop this harmful bill from moving forward. But despite strong opposition, some of our lawmakers seem determined to move ahead with this shameful effort to prevent parents and kids from deciding the best course of treatment for themselves.”
All Aberdeen area lawmakers support bill
All Aberdeen area lawmakers supported HB1080. They include Rep. Carl Perry, R-Aberdeen; Rep. Brandei Scheafbauer, R-Aberdeen; Rep. Tamara St. John, R-Sisseton; Rep. Joe Donnell, R-Sisseton; Rep. Scott Moore, R-Ipswich; Rep. James Wangsness, R-Miller; Sen. Al Novstrup, R-Aberdeen; and Sen. Michael Rohl, R-Aberdeen.