HB 1057, introduced in the South Dakota Legislature this week, would ban doctors from performing gender-affirming or gender-changing operations and treatment on minors, threatening medical professionals with a Class 4 felony.
David Owen, president of the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce & Industry, said legislation such as HB 1057 carries potential consequences beyond the bill’s language, and those consequences can adversely impact economic opportunities in South Dakota.
“South Dakota is home to a growing number of national and international businesses, including banks, research firms, manufacturers and health care systems, that believe workplaces and communities need to be inclusive and uses the talents of everyone,” Owen said. “When South Dakota considers draconian rules that affect a limited number of people, we run the risk of triggering economic consequences that include the loss of conventions, tournaments, top-level entertainment and business investment from outside industries.”
The Chamber has consistently opposed legislation that creates regulations or discriminates against specific classes of people. Past issues have included defining participation in extracurricular activities and the use of bathrooms and locker rooms. HB 1057 would give the state government power to regulate the relationship between families with transgender young people and their professional medical and psychological providers.
The Chamber is a conservative organization that views HB 1057 as government overreach. Although the bill’s sponsors seem sincere in wanting to offer protection to young people, South Dakota has an extremely limited number of these situations and is not an appropriate place to use the power of state government to control issues that are personal and extremely complicated.
“South Dakota needs to continue to invite people and investment into the state to give everyone the strongest future possible,” Owen said. “HB 1057 has too much potential to adversely affect those goals.”
