Parental rights will be run over if anti-trans kids bill veto is overridden

An outdated, misinformed and dangerous agenda will be imposed on young Ohioans if the so-called the “Saving Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act” becomes law.

The name may seem well-meaning, but House Bill 68 is part of the wave of anti-trans legislation that has flooded our nation.

After passing both the Ohio House of Representatives as well as the Ohio Senate, the bill was recently vetoed by Gov. Mike Dewine.

State lawmakers are expected to return to Columbus early for a possible vote to override the veto. The Ohio House in fact plans to vote today.

This piece of legislation is dangerous for a variety of reasons. Its impacts are far-reaching, creating restrictions on what the courts, health care providers, mental health care providers and athletic teams can legally do regarding the treatment and inclusion of trans youth.

When making decisions on parental custody, the courts would no longer have the ability to factor in whether the parent “refers to and raises the child in a manner consistent with the child’s biological sex,” whether the parent declines to consent to a child’s gender-affirming care, and whether the parent declines to consent to a child’s mental healthcare provided to treat gender dysphoria.

This section of the bill is extremely detrimental for trans youth because it fails to protect them from hate within their own household.

According to The Trevor Project, less than 1 in 3 transgender and nonbinary youth live in gender-affirming households.

If the bill is enacted and a parent refuses to accept the identity of their trans child, the courts could no longer consider that fact when making custodial decisions, putting even more trans youth in harm’s way.

House Bill 68 would ban health care providers from performing gender-affirming surgery on a minor, prescribing puberty-blocking medication to a minor, and aiding a minor in accessing these forms of health care.