Ohio Rolls Back Restrictions on Trans Health Care
The Ohio Department of Health rolled back several rules and regulations that would have restricted access to gender-affirming medical care for transgender adults.In January, Republican Gov.
Mike DeWine directed the department and the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to file rules for public comment to ensure that individuals do not pursue a gender transition hastily.
DeWine’s order served as a concession to opponents of gender-affirming care after he vetoed a bill that would prohibit doctors from prescribing gender-affirming treatments to transgender minors.The Republican-led legislature overrode his veto.The law is set to take effect in April.
However, opponents of the law, including the American Civil Liberties Union, could sue and potentially obtain an injunction that would block state authorities from enforcing the ban.Among the proposed regulations were a ban on surgical interventions on people under age 18, a requirement for state agencies to gather and report on data regarding the effects of gender-affirming treatments, and measures meant to slow-walk a person’s transition by requiring them to receive “adequate counseling” before pursuing gender-affirming care.Under those measures, patients younger than 21 would have had to receive at least six months of mental health counseling before pursuing transition-related care.
