Fred Deutsch
Member of the South Dakota House of Representatives
from the 4th district
Personal details
Born (1957-03-09) March 9, 1957
Political partyRepublican
Residence(s)Florence, South Dakota, U.S.
ProfessionChiropractor

Fred Deutsch (born March 9, 1957)[1] is an American politician and a Republican member of the South Dakota House of Representatives representing District 4. Deutsch lives in rural Florence, which is near Watertown, South Dakota and in Codington County in the northeast portion of the state.

Background

Deutsch previously served nine years on the Watertown Board of Education, and was first elected to the state house in 2014. He was re-elected in 2018, coming in first in a five-way race.[2][3] He first attempted to run for the District 4 seat in 2012 but lost, placing third after Democrats Kathy Tyler and Jim Peterson.[4]

Deutsch is a chiropractor, as is his wife Kathleen. He practices at Deutsch Chiropractic in Watertown, SD.[5] He graduated from Kalamazoo College in 1979 and obtained a chiropractic degree from Northwestern Health Sciences University in 1983.[1]

Transgender legislation

In February 2016, Deutsch drew national attention for introducing one of the earliest bathroom bills, which aimed to make it illegal for public school students to use a bathroom, shower room or locker room for a sex other than their sex at birth.[6][7] The bill was vetoed by Republican Governor Dennis Daugaard.[8]

In 2020, Deutsch introduced a bill that would make it a felony for pediatricians to provide sex change operations or opposite-sex hormones to youth ages 15 and under, punishing doctors with up to ten years in prison.[9] The bill received strong opposition from physicians.[10] It passed the State House of Representatives but was defeated in the State Senate.[11] The bill was developed by Deutsch in coalition with a secretive network of anti-transgender activists involved with conservative groups such as Alliance Defending Freedom, the American College of Pediatricians, Eagle Forum, Liberty Counsel, and the Christian Medical and Dental Associations. One member was Elisa Rae Shupe, who at the time had detransitioned. Shupe later retransitioned and disavowed her involvement. Though the bill failed, it was influential in the development of more successful anti-trans bills in numerous other states. An updated version of Deutsch's bill led by Bethany Soye was passed and signed into law in February 2023.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 Legislative Manual South Dakota 2015, p. 126 (2015)
  2. ↑ (2 Feb 2014). Fred Deutsch to run for District 4 House, dakotawarcollege.com
  3. ↑ (11 November 2014). Dr. Fred Deutsch Resigns From Watertown School Board After Winning State House Seat, KXLG
  4. ↑ (20 November 2014). What to do when you suffer a political loss? You come back & win! 5 Questions with…. Rep-Elect Fred Deutsch, dakotawarcollege.com
  5. ↑ "Deutsch Chiropractic Clinic Website". 7 March 2017.
  6. ↑ Smith, Mitch (25 February 2016). South Dakota Bill on Transgender Students’ Bathroom Access Draws Ire, The New York Times
  7. ↑ Kern, Sydney (24 January 2016). A House Bill Dealing With Transgender Students And School Bathrooms Creates Controversy, KDLT
  8. ↑ Brown, Emma. "South Dakota governor vetoes bill that would have restricted transgender students' access to school restrooms". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  9. ↑ Sopelsa, Brooke. "South Dakota bill would make trans health care for minors a felony". NBC News. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  10. ↑ Turban, Jack. "What South Dakota Doesn't Get About Transgender Children". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  11. ↑ Fitzsimmons, Tim. "South Dakota's trans health bill is effectively dead, opponents say". NBC News. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  12. ↑ Pauly, Madison (March 8, 2023). "Inside the Secret Working Group That Helped Push Anti-Trans Laws Across the Country". Mother Jones.
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