South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has signed a state law to ban medical centers from performing gender-altering surgery and hormonal treatments on minors.

“With this legislation, we are protecting kids from harmful, permanent medical procedures,” Noem said in a statement.

“I will always stand up for the next generation of South Dakotans.” LGBT advocacy groups hit back, with one claiming that “politicians are intruding into the private medical decisions best left to transgender young people and their families.”