ACLU files lawsuit challenging Ohio's ban on gender-affirming care
The ACLU of Ohio announced it has filed a lawsuit challenging House Bill 68, which is set to go into effect in April after lawmakers voted to override Gov. Mike DeWine's veto.
House Bill 68, which would ban gender-affirming care for minors and prevent people born male from participating in girls' and women's sports, is now set to become law on April 24.
The ACLU of Ohio announced Tuesday it's challenging the bill, specifically a provision that bans gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors.
The lawsuit was filed in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas on behalf of two families who the ACLU says have children who are at risk of losing critical, medically necessary healthcare.
The suit claims the bill violates the Ohio constitution's single-subject rule, the Health Care provision, the Equal Protection Clause, and the Due Course of Law provision.
“The ban on gender-affirming care will cause severe harm to transgender youth. These personal, private medical decisions should remain between families and doctors; they don’t belong to politicians. H.B. 68 violates the Ohio Constitution in multiple ways. We will fight in court to ensure that trans youth and their parents can access critically important, lifesaving healthcare without government intrusion,” Freda Levenson, Legal Director at the ACLU of Ohio, said in a statement.
The Ohio Senate voted in January to override the governor's veto of the bill. The vote passed with 24 yes to 8 no.
At least 22 states have now enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, and many of those states face lawsuits. Courts have issued mixed rulings. The nation’s first law, in Arkansas, was struck down by a federal judge who said the ban on care violated the due process rights of transgender youth and their families.