U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) delivered remarks on March 20 regarding the SAVE America Act, emphasizing what he described as commonsense policies to protect women’s sports and children. Thune addressed the Senate floor, focusing on provisions in the bill related to athletics and medical procedures for minors.
The debate over the SAVE America Act centers on issues of fairness in women’s sports and medical interventions for minors. Thune said these topics are important because they affect opportunities for female athletes and raise concerns about the safety and long-term effects of gender transition procedures on children.
During his speech, Thune said, “The SAVE America Act unites a bunch of commonsense policies: the kind of things that are just intuitively obvious, or at least they should be, and should be getting 80 to 90 votes – or more! – here in the Senate.” He discussed recent instances where “biological men who identify as women” have participated in women’s sports across various disciplines such as track, swimming, volleyball, basketball, soccer, and softball. Thune argued that this situation presents physical dangers and issues of fairness for female athletes. He quoted a female runner who said, “When colleges looked at my record, they didn’t see the fastest girl in Connecticut. They saw a second- or third-place runner.”
Thune also criticized Democratic senators for voting against previous legislation aimed at protecting women’s sports. He said he is passionate about this issue as a father of two daughters and grandfather to a granddaughter involved in athletics.
Turning to gender transition procedures for minors, Thune referenced studies from Europe indicating limited scientific evidence supporting such interventions. He cited findings from Britain’s National Health Service and noted similar actions by Finland, Sweden, and Denmark. According to Thune’s remarks referencing a Department of Health and Human Services report from 2025, side effects from these procedures can include infertility, bone density loss, heart disease, metabolic disorders, surgical complications, cognitive impacts, psychiatric disorders, among others.
Thune has served on several Senate committees including Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Commerce, Science and Transportation; and Finance according to his official website. He grew up in Murdo, South Dakota where an encounter with a congressman inspired his interest in public service according to his official website. Thune earned degrees from Biola University (bachelor’s) and the University of South Dakota (master’s in business administration) according to his official website. His career includes historic election victories such as defeating a sitting party leader according to his official website.
In conclusion to his remarks on the bill banning gender transition procedures for minors—which has been under debate since Tuesday—Thune said: “The SAVE America Act will give every member of this body a chance to take a stand against the abuse of children. And I urge every member of this body to vote to protect children from further harm.”
