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South Dakota Senate passes bill to ban gender affirming care for minors

The South Dakota Senate passed a bill Thursday to ban gender affirming care. Gov. Kristi Noem has said she will sign the bill. File Photo by Joe Marino/UPI
The South Dakota Senate passed a bill Thursday to ban gender affirming care. Gov. Kristi Noem has said she will sign the bill. File Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 9 (UPI) -- South Dakota is poised to ban gender affirming care for transgender children after the state Senate passed a controversial bill.

The bill would ban puberty blockers and hormone treatment and limit the care that doctors could provide to patients younger than 18. The vote was 30-4 and fell along party lines.

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"We need to stand in the gap for vulnerable children and guide them towards true health and healing," Sen. Al Novstrup, R-Aberdeen, said according to the Argus Leader.

Sen. Tim Reed had proposed an amendment that would have allowed transgender minors to have access to puberty blockers, but it was voted down.

"Blockers have a place helping families navigate through an extremely difficult situation," Reed said Thursday. "We need to be able to give these kids a chance."

The Senate also rejected an amendment that would have required South Dakota's Department of Social Services to provide mental health counseling for minors experiencing gender dysphoria.

There are exceptions for minors that require treatment for an infection, injury, disease or disorder that has been "caused or exacerbated by" gender-affirming medical intervention.

The bill now heads to Gov. Kristi Noem's desk, where she has signaled she will sign the bill into law.

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