July 2020 – After the South Dakota House of Representatives passed HB 1057 in late January, many were hopeful. The bill, titled the Vulnerable Child Protection Act, would have made it illegal for doctors to perform gender transition surgeries or prescribe hormone replacement therapy for anyone under the age of 16.
However, the State Chamber of Commerce attacked the bill, arguing it would threaten the state’s economic development, and the Republican dominated Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted it down 5-2.
Sen. Wayne Steinhauer (R) made the motion to defeat the bill. Citing family as the “building block of society,” he said the “gut wrenching” decisions related to gender transition should be left to families.
