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.
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.
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