COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — The American Civil Liberties Union is taking steps to sue the state of Ohio.
The group is fighting to stop House Bill 68 from officially going into place after it passed last week. It bans gender-affirming care for people under the age of 18.
WSYX has been following the bill’s developments for weeks.
“To take this away from children when we have a really good system, I know people who work with trans kids in Ohio, and our system is so much better than a lot of other states,” Tyler Quill told WSYX during a protest last week.
At 15 years old I went through a double mastectomy which was the surgical removal of my breasts, and I stopped transitioning about a year later when I realized that I regretted the procedure,” a de-transitioning woman said.
Last week, the Ohio Senate passed House Bill 68, and this week, an attorney with the ACLU says they’re planning to take it to court.
“We are preparing litigation against the gender affirming care provision to defend transgender’s youth and families and their constitutional right to receive this medically necessary health care,” attorney for ACLU Amy Gilbert said.
The ACLU argues that hormone therapy to treat gender dysphoria is medically necessary, saying that denying this care will have “disastrous consequences” for youth in Ohio.
“There is a lot of fear for families,” Gilbert said. “The Ohio Constitution protects the freedom to choose healthcare it also protects parental rights and we are thinking through other legal claims as well.”
Republican state House member, Rep. Doug Swearingen, voted for the passage of House Bill 68. He released a statement saying, in part:
“I’m not surprised at all that the ACLU would challenge the Safe Act and the Save Women’s Sports Act. I stand firmly behind our work, and their challenge doesn’t change the fact that this law is about protecting children and ensuring that young female athletes are not forced to compete against biological males on the playing field.”
Sponsor of the bill Rep. Gary Click also released a statement on Tuesday:
“The announcement of the ACLU lawsuit comes without surprise. They have a storied history of inventing fictitious rights while opposing actual rights such as those enshrined in the SAFE Act. Children have a right to grow up intact.
It is unfathomable that a so-called civil rights organization would sue for the right to sterilize children, amputate healthy body parts, cause irreversible damage, and set children on a path to an increased risk of suicide without parental consent. Parents have a right to be free from counselors who groom their children without consent. Families should never fear losing custody of their children for not consenting to superstitious gender ideology. Nevertheless, this is what the ACLU is fighting for. It is no wonder so many refer to it as the Anti-Civil Liberties Union.
Legislation like the SAFE Act has precedent in both the 6th and 10th circuit courts, which is obviously why the ACLU intends to file in state court. However, we believe that Ohio’s constitution provides equal protection for the rights of children and parents.
Gender-affirming care is a slogan, not science. Sex changes for children and counseling without parental consent are not the types of civil rights embedded in our constitution. I have complete faith in Ohio Attorney General David Yost’s ability to defend the SAFE Act.”
House Bill 68 is set to become law April 23.
