Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
In South Dakota, it’s illegal for doctors to perform any genital mutilation on minors or provide puberty blockers or hormone therapy.
Governor Kristi Noem signed the Help Not Harm bill into law last week.
“South Dakota’s kids are our future. With this legislation, we are protecting kids from harmful, permanent medical procedures,” the governor said in a statement. “I will always stand up for the next generation of South Dakotans.”
Doctors who break the law can lose their licenses to practice medicine and face civil lawsuits.
Almost half the states have introduced bills to outlaw so-called “gender care” on minors. Arkansas, Alabama, Florida and Utah have similar laws on the books. Arkansas and Alabama are in litigation after courts temporarily blocked all or part of their laws.
Gov. Noem caused controversy among conservatives in 2021 when she refused to sign her legislature’s bill that would protect women’s sports and suggested “style and form” changes. After lawmakers refused to change the language, the governor signed two executive orders that barred males from playing on female sports teams. In 2022, Gov. Noem signed a bill that protects fairness in women’s sports into law.
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore (Creative Commons) – Some rights reserved
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