Genderaffirming Health Care Focus Of Ohio Governor's Veto: What To Know About Issue

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation Thursday that would limit health care for transgender minors and ban transgender girls from playing on women's sports teams.

House Bill 68 passed both state chambers in early December and would have prohibited doctors from prescribing hormones, puberty blockers or gender-affirming surgeries before patients turn 18.

The American Medical Association has previously expressed support for gender-affirming child care, citing evidence that denying such care can have serious physical and mental consequences for the patient.

"If I signed House Bill 68, or if House Bill 68 became law, Ohio would be saying that the state, the government, knows best what is medically best for the child that the two people who love him the most: his parents. Divina said:

As Republican leaders across the country have toughened their anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and legislation over the past three years, DeWine's veto sends a bold political message, said Imara Jones, a transgender activist and founder of TransLash Media.

"The Republican Party has defined itself as the anti-trans party, and it's very important that they decide that their party was wrong on this," he told USA TODAY.

The bill, HB68, passed overwhelmingly, meaning it may have enough support to override DeWine's veto. Here's what you need to know about gender-affirming health.

Read more. Utah becomes first state to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors in 2023

What is gender-affirming healthcare?

Gender-affirming healthcare includes everything from psychotherapy to hormone therapy and (in rare cases) surgery. Remember, transgender adults make up less than 2% of the US population; About 5% of young people identify as transgender or non-binary.

"For most children, gender-affirming care is literally a confirmation of their identity," Jones said. "It has nothing to do with the medical profession."

Hormone therapy for minors may include puberty blockers, which experts say are reversible and prevent permanent physical changes caused by puberty in children who have already socially transitioned.

DeWine said this week that he wants state lawmakers to draft a new version of the bill that would ban gender-affirming surgeries for minors.

Gender-affirming healthcare is not a universal practice and only doctors provide this type of care. Barriers to accessing health care, such as lack of health insurance, can also prevent people from receiving procedures or treatments.

Experts also note that almost no transgender youth undergo surgery until their late teens and approach adulthood. Often, gender-affirming youth care involves accepting that person's social transition: using a different name or pronouns, choosing different clothes, or wearing a different hairstyle.

"All bills that target gender affirmation for young people are the solution," Jones said. "For the vast majority of young people who identify as trans, the most complex medical interventions that people think about are not available to them," he said, explaining that health care must be negotiated by young people, their parents, doctors and therapists. . who gave birth to the child

"But I am first and foremost a human being." These three trans teenagers show that identity goes beyond a simple label.

What is gender confirmation surgery?

Like all gender-affirming healthcare, surgical procedures and whether or not to undergo them are very personal decisions.

A person can undergo several types of surgical procedures, which the American Society of Plastic Surgeons calls "gender confirmation surgeries."

"The goal is to give transgender people the appearance and functionality of the gender with which they identify," according to the ASPS website.

These procedures are commonly called "over" or "under" surgical procedures, depending on their location on the body. There are also facial procedures that can be considered "gender-affirming."

ASPS defines these procedures as follows:

• Facial feminization or masculinization surgery is the alteration of facial features to reduce or soften more feminine or masculine features.

• Top surgery: breast modification to address gender dysphoria by reducing or increasing curves or breasts.

• Buttock Surgery: Reassignment of Gender and Genital Characteristics to Address Gender Dysphoria

“This is life-saving help. “Evidence shows that when people receive this type of help, they live longer, better, happier and more fulfilled lives,” Jones said. "That's why gender-affirming care is a medical consensus, it's an agreement among the medical community that this care saves lives and is important."

Read more. "Transgender is not a disease." transgender broken arm syndrome meaning

How does access to gender-affirming care affect young people?

The Endocrine Society, made up of medical professionals who study hormones, praised Devine's decision. The organization said in a news release to USA TODAY on Friday that the bill contradicts scientific evidence and conventional medical practice.

"Gender-affirming care for children requires a conservative approach," the news release says. "When young children feel that their gender identity does not match the one recorded at birth, the first thing to do is support the child in discovering their gender identity and provide mental health support if necessary."

According to a study from the Trevor Project, people under the age of 18 who received sex-affirming hormone therapy were 40% less likely to experience depression and attempt suicide in the past year.

This year, the organization found that 45% of LGBTQ youth had seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year.

Legislation aimed at blocking minors' access to gender-affirming care has put even more pressure on LGBTQ youth. According to another survey conducted by the Trevor Project, about 85% of trans and nonbinary youth say recent debates over state laws limiting their rights have negatively affected their mental health.

What's next for gender care in Ohio?

Access to gender-affirming health care alone impacts the lives of transgender children and their parents, said Jack Drescher, a clinical psychology professor at Columbia University who specializes in sexuality and gender identity. Decisions about care are private and made only by families and the health care providers who care for them, she said.

"People don't think the government should get involved," Drescher told USA TODAY.

With proper medical care, transgender patients feel less depressed and anxious and "feel more like themselves," Drescher said.

Drescher said he feared that Ohio Republicans, who hold a supermajority in the state Legislature, would vote to override the governor's veto, an executive action he praised in an interview.

"It's good that he did it, sometimes it's good to see that there are reasonable people in leadership positions in government. Unfortunately, they may not be present in the Ohio Legislature," he said.

Read more. Arkansas Gov. Hutchinson Vetoes Bill to Ban Youth Reassignment Surgery, Calling It 'Excessive and Extreme'

Besides. Legislators and groups respond to the governor. DeWine vetoes HB 68, a transgender health care bill

By Susan Miller, USA TODAY; Haley Bemiller, Jordan Laird, Columbus Expedition

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY. What you need to know about gender-affirming care as Ohio vetoes bill

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