Ohio SAFE Act passes House vote

COLUMBUS --- State Representative Gary Click (R-Vickery) responded Wednesday to the House's passage of the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act. The SAFE Act, according to a press release, "focuses on protecting children who are experiencing gender dysphoria from harmful irreversible sex change procedures." The act also secures parent rights through parental consent for counseling and sets provisions for comorbidity screening for gender dysphoric patients. According to the Associated Press, These aren't the first attempts at such proposals by Ohio's Legislature — a gender-affirming care ban, which "Jeopardy!" champion Amy Schneider testified against, died in a House committee last year. A sports ban nearly made it through both the House and Senate last fall, but it fell short after being tacked onto an education overhaul bill that had mixed reviews among GOP legislators. Minors in Ohio would be prohibited from taking puberty blockers and undergoing other hormone therapies or receiving gender reassignment surgery in an effort to further align them with their gender identity, according to the bill. Should the bill become law, as the bill states, doctors who violate it could lose their licenses to practice if they provide care other than verbal therapy for transgender children. Transgender children currently undergoing hormone therapies would have to stop treatment or leave the state to receive it elsewhere. The Save Women's Sports Act also was included in the legislation, which "will ensure young men cannot compete in female-only sports in Ohio," the release states. The act passed by a vote of 64-28 Wednesday. In the release, Click stated, "I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate and Governor DeWine to advance best practices in Ohio for our treasured youth." "Our opponents argue from a place of eminence rather than evidence," Click said. "Ohio's families deserve better." The SAFE Act will now be under consideration by the Ohio Senate. At least 20 states have now enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, and most of those states face lawsuits, according to the Associated Press.