Latest news with #HB68
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Youth transgender care ban still in effect while appeal plays out, Ohio Supreme Court rules
Apr. 29—The Ohio Supreme Court issued a ruling Tuesday allowing the state to continue a ban on gender-affirming care for youth while Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost appeals a lower court's decision. In March, the Tenth District Court of Appeals found House Bill 68 ― which prevents LGBTQ+ minors from accessing care such as hormone blockers, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and some mental health services ― to be unconstitutional. The appellate court ordered a trial court to enter a permanent injunction blocking it. The trial court, the Franklin County Common Pleas Court, never issued the injunction, so the ban on gender-affirming care for youth in Ohio has continued, ACLU of Ohio said. In appealing to the Ohio Supreme Court, Yost asked the court to pause the injunction while his appeal with the high court plays out. The Ohio Supreme Court granted the request on Tuesday. "It is a terrible shame that the Supreme Court of Ohio is permitting the state to evade compliance with the Ohio Constitution," said Freda Levenson, legal director at the ACLU of Ohio. The lawsuit was first filed on March 26, 2024 by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Ohio, and the global law firm Goodwin on behalf of two families who said their transgender adolescents would be negatively impacted by House Bill 68. Both families were seeking access to gender-affirming care, such as puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy, describing plans to seek care in Chicago and Michigan if the ban took place, which it did. "Our clients have suffered tangible and irreparable harm during the eight months that HB 68 has been in place, including being denied essential health care in their home state," Levenson said. On Aug. 6, 2024, following a five-day trial in July, the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas rejected the plaintiffs' challenge and allowed the ban on gender-affirming care to take effect. The plaintiffs appealed the decision on their argument that House Bill 68 violates the Ohio Constitution, with which a three-judge panel at the 10th District Court of Appeals agreed on two points and rendered the other two points as moot. A comment from Yost was not immediately available.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Court rules Ohio's ban on gender-affirming care can be enforced amid suits
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a state law prohibiting minors from receiving gender-affirming care can be enforced as court battles proceed over the law's constitutionality. The state's high court granted a request from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) to stay an appellate court ruling from March that blocked the state from enforcing the law, pending full review. The two-sentence Tuesday order was issued by the Republican chief justice, Sharon Kennedy. Republican Justice Pat Fischer and Democratic Justice Jennifer Brunner dissented. 'This cause is pending before the court as a jurisdictional appeal. Upon consideration of appellants' emergency motion for stay pending appeal, it is ordered by the court that the motion is granted,' the order read. The Ohio General Assembly, in 2023, passed House Bill 68, banning puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors. The bill was vetoed by the state's Republican governor, but both legislative chambers voted to overturn his veto. The ACLU of Ohio brought a lawsuit on behalf of two transgender minors challenging the legality of the statute. The law has been caught up in the courts for months. 'It is a terrible shame that the Supreme Court of Ohio is permitting the state to evade compliance with the Ohio Constitution. Our clients have suffered tangible and irreparable harm during the eight months that HB 68 has been in place, including being denied essential health care in their home state,' the ACLU of Ohio's legal director, Freda Levenson, said in a Tuesday statement responding to the court order. 'The Court of Appeals was correct that HB 68 violates at least two separate provisions of the Ohio Constitution. We will continue to fight this extreme ban as the case goes ahead before the Supreme Court of Ohio,' Levenson continued. Yost, who is running for Ohio governor, posted on X announcing the court's ruling. In a statement to a Cleveland news outlet, his spokesperson, Bethany McCorkle, said the attorney general's office is pleased that the law 'protecting children from drug-induced gender transitions remains in effect as the case moves forward.' 'We look forward to showing once again that the legislature acted properly in enacting this constitutional law, which protects our children from irreversible medical decisions,' McCorkle continued in the statement. The Hill has reached out to the attorney general's office for comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
29-04-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Court rules Ohio's ban on gender-affirming care can be enforced amid suits
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a state law prohibiting minors from receiving gender-affirming care can be enforced as court battles proceed over the law's constitutionality. The state's high court granted a request from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) to stay an appellate court ruling from March that blocked the state from enforcing the law, pending full review. The two-sentence Tuesday order was issued by the Republican chief justice, Sharon Kennedy. Republican Justice Pat Fischer and Democratic Justice Jennifer Brunner dissented. 'This cause is pending before the court as a jurisdictional appeal. Upon consideration of appellants' emergency motion for stay pending appeal, it is ordered by the court that the motion is granted,' the order read. The Ohio General Assembly, in 2023, passed House Bill 68, banning puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors. The bill was vetoed by the state's Republican governor, but both legislative chambers voted to overturn his veto. The ACLU of Ohio brought a lawsuit on behalf of two transgender minors challenging the legality of the statute. The law has been caught up in the courts for months. 'It is a terrible shame that the Supreme Court of Ohio is permitting the state to evade compliance with the Ohio Constitution. Our clients have suffered tangible and irreparable harm during the eight months that HB 68 has been in place, including being denied essential health care in their home state,' the ACLU of Ohio's legal director, Freda Levenson, said in a Tuesday statement responding to the court order. 'The Court of Appeals was correct that HB 68 violates at least two separate provisions of the Ohio Constitution. We will continue to fight this extreme ban as the case goes ahead before the Supreme Court of Ohio,' Levenson continued. Yost, who is running for Ohio governor, posted on X announcing the court's ruling. In a statement to a Cleveland news outlet, his spokesperson, Bethany McCorkle, said the attorney general's office is pleased that the law 'protecting children from drug-induced gender transitions remains in effect as the case moves forward.' 'We look forward to showing once again that the legislature acted properly in enacting this constitutional law, which protects our children from irreversible medical decisions,' McCorkle continued in the statement.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ohio Supreme Court reinstates law banning trans healthcare for minors
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio can resume enforcing a law banning certain healthcare for transgender youth while litigation continues, the state's Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday. The court announced Tuesday it's granting a request from Attorney General Dave Yost to pause an appellate court decision that said House Bill 68, Ohio's law banning gender-affirming care for minors, is unconstitutional. The appeals court overturned H.B. 68 in March, arguing an injunction should be imposed against the law's provision banning certain prescriptions. Watch a previous NBC4 report on the appellate court decision in the video player above. Yost has yet to release a statement on Tuesday's decision. The legal battle follows an August ruling from Franklin County Commons Pleas Judge Michael Holbrook that said H.B. 68 could go into effect after being on hold for several months. The ACLU then appealed Holbrook's decision on behalf of two families whose children are at risk of losing access to their healthcare. Freda Levenson, legal director at the ACLU of Ohio, said it's 'a terrible shame that the Supreme Court of Ohio is permitting the state to evade compliance with the Ohio Constitution.' 'Our clients have suffered tangible and irreparable harm during the eight months that HB 68 has been in place, including being denied essential health care in their home state,' said Levenson. 'The court of appeals was correct that H.B. 68 violates at least two separate provisions of the Ohio Constitution.' Yost had said in a statement at the time of the appellate court decision in March that he would seek an immediate stay, promising 'there is no way I'll stop fighting to protect these unprotected children.' 'Ohio's elected representatives properly passed legislation protecting children from irreversible chemical sex change procedures, and the trial court upheld the law,' Yost said. 'But now the 10th district court of appeals has just greenlighted these permanent medical interventions against minors.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ohio court partially overturns ban on gender-affirming care for LGBTQ+ youth
Advocates for the trans community protest outside the Ohio Senate Chamber and repeatedly shouted 'shame' when they heard that lawmakers had passed HB 68 that bans gender-affirming care for transgender youth and bars transgender kids from participating on sports teams, December 13, 2023, at the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original article.) An Ohio court has partially overturned a ban on gender-affirming care for LGBTQ+ youth, allowing doctors to continue prescribing puberty blockers and hormone therapy. This is a developing story and will be updated. The 10th District Court of Appeals has sent the case back to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, arguing that the prescription ban 'interferes with parent-appellants' fundamental right to care for their children,' the decision states. The decision to ban hormone blockers for trans youth violates the Health Care Freedom Amendment in the Ohio Constitution, according to the court. 'It impermissibly prohibits parents, acting on behalf of their minor children, from accessing treatment protocols in accordance with the standards of care and guidelines widely accepted in the professional medical community to treat gender dysphoria in minors,' the court continued. The case, Moe v. Yost, was originally filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Ohio, and the global law firm Goodwin on behalf of two Ohio families with transgender adolescents. Attorney General Dave Yost plans to appeal, he said. 'This is a no brainer – we are appealing that decision and will seek an immediate stay. There is no way I'll stop fighting to protect these unprotected children,' Yost said. 'Ohio's elected representatives properly passed legislation protecting children from irreversible chemical sex change procedures, and the trial court upheld the law. But now the 10th district court of appeals has just greenlighted these permanent medical interventions against minors.' Freda Levenson, legal director at the ACLU of Ohio, said in a statement Tuesday that the decision restores the right of trans youth in Ohio to choose vitally important health care, with the support of their families and physicians. 'We are gratified by the Court's decision, which soundly rejects this interference of politicians with Ohioans' bodily autonomy,' Levenson said. 'Although this litigation will likely not end here, we remain fervently committed to preventing this egregious bill from ever again taking effect.' H.B. 68 went into effect in 2024. The controversial legislation prevented LGBTQ+ minors from accessing care such as hormone blockers, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and some mental health services. It also prohibits trans athletes from participating in middle, high school, or college athletics on teams that align with their identity. This is still blocked under the ruling. In July 2024, parents and doctors testified to prevent the state from enforcing the ban, citing the ban would 'deny basic human rights.'Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
