By David M. Greenwald
Executive Editor
Columbus, OH – Last week the Ohio Legislature overrode Governor Mike DeWine’s veto of HB 68 which, among other things, would ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors.
On Monday, the ACLU of Ohio announced it would file a lawsuit to halt the law before it takes effect on April 23, 2024.
“We are preparing litigation to defend transgender youth and their constitutional right to receive medically necessary healthcare,” said Freda Levenson, Legal Director at the 
ACLU of Ohio..
“Ohio’s law is an unconscionable attack on transgender youth and their families. Gender affirming healthcare is safe, effective, and necessary. We are prepared to go to court and defend the rights and dignity of transgender youth with every tool available,” added Chase Strangio, Deputy Director for Transgender Justice at the ACLU.
Hormone therapy to treat gender dysphoria in youth is evidence-based, medically necessary, and backed by major medical associations across the nation, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The ACLU believes that to deny this care “lacks any basis in medical science and would have disastrous consequences for the health and well-being of Ohio youth with gender dysphoria.”
Levenson said, “The use of gender-affirming hormone therapy to treat transgender minors is supported by every major medical association in our country.”
Levenson added, “Transgender youth, together with their doctors and parents, should have access to evidence-based medical care just like anyone else. Families should be able to make these private, personal decisions based on the advice of their physicians, and free from interference by politicians. HB 68 is not only cruel; it violates the Ohio Constitution and must be challenged.”
