The Ohio House of Representatives passed two Republican-backed pieces of legislation on Wednesday, one that attempts to protect women’s sports and children from exploitation in the state and another that aims to require school systems to have policies that allow parents to be more active in their child’s education.
The Ohio House passed House Bill (HB) 68, known as the SAFE Act, with the Save Women’s Sports Act amended into it by a 64-28 vote and HB 8, known as the Parents’ Bill of Rights, by a 65-29 vote advancing both pieces of legislation to the Ohio Senate for its review.
The Safe Act 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.
HB 68’s sponsor, State Representative Gary Click (R-Vickery), said, “This bill will save lives and that’s why we are doing this.”
The Save Women’s Sports Act tries to ensure that 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.
According to the bill’s sponsor State Representative Jena Powell (R-Arcanum), 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,” Powell said.
The Parents’ Bill of Rights would require school districts to alert parents before using materials with explicit sexual content in class, parents would be able to evaluate curriculum materials for sexually explicit content and request alternate education, requires school systems to inform parents about changes to their child’s mental, emotional, or physical health, and requires school systems to develop a parent-approved health care plan for each student.
The bill’s co-sponsor, State Representative Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton), said that it’s her goal to have schools and parents work hand-in-hand for the student.
“Many parents across Ohio believe that schools should provide notification and transparency on certain materials prior to instruction and surely should keep parents duly notified when it comes to a student’s health records at their school, ” Carruthers said.
The Center for Christian Virtue applauded the house floor passing the legislation and said that Ohio “desperately needs” these bills.
“By passing the SAFE Act, Save Women’s Sports Act, and Parents’ Bill of Rights, the Ohio House is working to ensure children can safely grow up in a state that won’t compromise their privacy, safety, and even their future fertility. In many ways, it’s hard to believe we have to pass laws simply to say that it’s wrong to sterilize children or to force girls to compete against boys, or for the government to keep medical information from parents. But the left has lost all grounding in biological realities and simple moral clarity, making these bills desperately needed,” Center for Christian Virtue President Aaron Baer said.
Lawmakers will now consider the legislation in the Ohio Senate.
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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]
