The ACLU of South Dakota commends the House Health and Human Services Committee for deferring House Bill 1205 to the 41st day.
The ACLU of South Dakota opposed House Bill 1205, a bill that would have given a parent the right to refuse consent to health care treatment of any kind to support gender transition of a minor child. Parents already have the ability to withhold treatment to minor children in most cases. This bill was simply an attempt to proclaim government disapproval of transgender young people in South Dakota.
“We appreciate and thank the legislators who see bills like House Bill 1205 for what they are – an attempt to single out transgender students for discrimination in our state,” said Libby Skarin, policy director for the ACLU of South Dakota. “But we also know our fight is not over. The ACLU of South Dakota’s commitment to ensuring that transgender South Dakotans can live openly without discrimination remains strong. We will continue to fight the two active bills – House Bill 1108 and House Bill 1225 – that target transgender kids in our state.”
About the ACLU of South Dakota
Decisions made during the annual sessions of the South Dakota Legislature have a deep and lasting impact on our state’s people and communities. As new laws are created and others repealed or written, it’s important to ensure that these changes preserve and strengthen our constitutional rights. For up-to-date information on the bills the ACLU of South Dakota is tracking, go to www.aclusd.org.
The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota is a non-partisan organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of civil liberties and civil rights. The ACLU believes freedoms of press, speech, assembly, and religion, and the rights to due process, equal protection, and privacy are fundamental to a free people. In addition, the ACLU seeks to advance constitutional protections for groups traditionally denied their rights, including people of color, women, and the LGBT communities. The ACLU of South Dakota carries out its work through selective litigation, lobbying at the state and local level, and through public education and awareness of what the Bill of Rights means for people of South Dakota.
###
