South Dakota House approves bill banning gender change treatment for children News
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South Dakota House approves bill banning gender change treatment for children

The South Dakota House approved a bill Wednesday that would ban doctors from treating transgender children through the usage of certain gender affirming treatment.

Practicing physicians who engage in treatment for young patients, such as puberty blockers, gender confirmation surgery or hormone therapy, could be charged with a misdemeanor if the child were below the age of 16.

The bill, numbered HB 1057, would still allow for surgery on intersex children for “corrective” purposes: “Section 26-10-37 does not apply to the good faith medical decision of a parent or 6 guardian of a minor born with a medically-verifiable genetic disorder of sex development.” These “genetic disorders,” include “External biological sex characteristics that are ambiguous.”

In addition to HB 1057, the South Dakota Legislature has also approved Senate Bill 93, which would allow parents to refuse gender affirming treatments for their children.