Buckeye Reporter

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has filed a response to the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) appeal against Ohio’s trial court decision upholding the state's ban on medical interventions aimed at transitioning the sex or gender of minors.

House Bill 68 prohibits surgeries and medications intended to change a child's sex or gender, preserves female sports teams, and protects parents from losing custody if they do not support their children's transition.

The ruling on August 6 by Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Michael J. Holbrook followed a lawsuit by the ACLU challenging the constitutionality of House Bill 68. After five days of testimony and written arguments from both sides, the court ruled in favor of the State, allowing the law to take effect.

“The court heard the evidence and correctly determined that Ohio’s law protecting children withstands the legal challenges raised by the Plaintiffs,” said Yost.

In his response to the appeal, Yost emphasized that the law was enacted by Ohio’s elected representatives to protect vulnerable children, athletes, and parents. The law aims to prevent children from undergoing experimental medical treatments with potential irreversible harm, ensure fairness in girls’ and women’s sports, and safeguard parental rights.

“The legislature has the authority to prevent experimental treatments that it deems dangerous for our children,” Yost concluded. “And I will continue to defend the law.”