South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) signed a bill on Monday that prohibits “gender-affirming” health care for minors. This includes puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and sex reassignment surgery.
H.B. 1080, dubbed the “Help Not Harm” bill, was presented in January. The law will take effect on July 1 (via CBS News):
Health care providers who violate the new law by providing hormone replacement therapy, gender-affirming surgery or other kinds of care to trans youth under the age of 18 risk both civil suits, and the potential to lose their licenses.
"South Dakota's kids are our future. With this legislation, we are protecting kids from harmful, permanent medical procedures," said Noem in a press release on the bill. "I will always stand up for the next generation of South Dakotans."
The state Senate voted 30-4 to send the bill to the governor after the state House advanced it in a 60-10 vote.
Last year, Noem announced the retirement of her state health secretary after reports broke that the state health department contracted with a transgender advocacy group that was scheduled to partaking in a “gender summit.” Reportedly, Noem was not aware that the health department had partnered with the organization.
“South Dakota does not support this organization’s efforts, and state government should not be participating in them,” Noem told The Daily Signal in a statement about the gender summit. “We should not be dividing our youth with radical ideologies. We should treat every single individual equally as a human being.”
Last week, reports broke that the transgender advocacy group, The Transformation Project, would sue Noem and the head of the state’s Department of Health. Reportedly, Noem’s decision to terminate the contract resulted in the organization losing a $136,000 grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Last month, Townhall covered how Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed a bill into law that prohibits minors from receiving irreversible transgender treatment. A statement from Cox’s office said that the legislation came about as many countries and states have scaled back gender-transition health care for this age group due to the lack of data surrounding its long-term effects.
“While we understand our words will be of little comfort to those who disagree with us, we sincerely hope that we can treat our transgender families with more love and respect as we work to better understand the science and consequences behind these procedures,” the statement said.
A separate bill filed in Oklahoma earlier this year would ban this type of care for people up to age 26.