Ohio has become the second state in the nation to ban gender-affirming care for minors after lawmakers voted Jan. 24 to override a veto by Gov. Mike DeWine in December, The Washington Post reported.
The law will take effect in April. It forbids primary care providers from treating patients under 18 with hormone therapies, puberty blockers and gender-reassignment surgery.
However, there is a grandfather clause component that will allow for continuation of treatments that have already been underway for patients who live in the state. However, it does not apply to anyone who may have traveled to Ohio to receive the care, The Washington Post reported.
The new law goes against what both the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have recommended, that transgender care for minors is "medically necessary" and that their members oppose any law that "interferes in the doctor-patient relationship".
On Jan. 28, 2023, Utah became the first state in the U.S. to ban gender-affirming care for minors.