The Ohio House of Representatives advanced two Republican-backed pieces of legislation on Wednesday that aim to protect women’s sports and children from exploitation in the state.
House Bill (HB) 68, known as the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act, sponsored by State Representative Gary Click (R-Vickery), passed out of the Ohio House Public Health Policy Committee by a 7-6 vote advancing it to the house floor for further consideration.
The legislation would ban providing minors puberty-blocking drugs, cross-sex hormones, and surgery for “gender transitioning” It would also keep physicians from “aiding and abetting” patients in receiving this treatment in other states. The bill only prohibits minors from having surgery and taking medications that might change their bodies, not medical or psychological care.
The SAFE Act has gathered support from approximately three dozen state lawmakers and advocacy from the Center for Christian Virtue and the Alliance Defending Freedom.
According to Click, “This bill will save lives and that’s why we are doing this.”
Lawmakers included the “Save Women’s Sports Act” sponsored by State Representative Jena Powell (R-Arcanum) in the substitute bill accepted Wednesday morning.
The “Save Women’s Sports Act” ensures biological males cannot compete in female-only sports statewide. The legislation preserves a level playing field for women and girls by requiring schools, higher education state institutions, and private colleges to designate separate single-sex teams and sports for each sex.
The legislation has garnered support from the Center for Christian Virtue and Riley Gaines, a swimmer who has become well known for speaking out against the unfairness of biological men taking advantage of them in female sporting events.
According to Powell, the legislation is a fairness issue.
“All that girls are asking for is a fair shot, and to be given the chance to play and win by the rules in the sports that they love. That opportunity is being ripped from them by biological males,” Rep. Powell said.
The Center for Christian Virtue applauded the House Committee advancing the legislation to the floor, calling it “a win.”
“The unmitigated greed of the gender-medicine industry has led to countless children being mutilated and sterilized for life. Today’s committee vote was a great win and another important step towards protecting women’s sports and vulnerable children from exploitation in Ohio. Thank you to Representatives Gary Click, Brian Stewart, and Jena Powell for their strong leadership to protect women and children. The entire Ohio General Assembly must take action and pass the SAFE Act,” David Mahan, Center for Christian Virtue policy director, said.
Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel and director of the Center for Legislative Advocacy Matt Sharp told The Ohio Star that he strongly supports this legislation.
“Alliance Defending Freedom strongly supports policies, like the SAFE Act, that protect children from being harmed by dangerous chemicals and catastrophic, irreversible surgeries. Children shouldn’t be rushed into permanent life-altering decisions, especially when those decisions are driven by ideological and financial interests inconsistent with the health and wellbeing of children. That’s why other countries, like Sweden, England, and Finland, are adopting policies that better protect children from the bad science that has already devastated countless lives,” Sharp told The Star.
Lawmakers will now consider the legislation on the house floor.
– – –
Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
