The Arkansas state legislature voted Tuesday to override a veto by Governor Asa Hutchinson on legislation that would ban gender-affirming treatments for transgender youths in the state.
The House voted 71-24, and the Senate 25-8, to override Hutchinson’s veto just 24 hours after it was announced. The “Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act” bars doctors from providing gender-affirming health care to transgender minors, including hormones, puberty blockers and transition-related surgeries.
During a press briefing Monday, Hutchinson called the bill “government overreach,” and called on state leaders to rethink the issue again before acting. “You are starting to let lawmakers interfere with health care and set a standard for