The Ohio General Assembly passed and sent a bill that would protect women in sports and ban gender-affirming procedures from being performed on minors to Governor Mike DeWine’s desk.
On Wednesday, state lawmakers passed House Bill 68, which includes two bills: the Saving Ohio Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act and the Save Women’s Sports Act.
The SAFE Act, sponsored by State Representative Gary Click (R-Vickery), prevents doctors from providing minors with gender-affirming care, which includes performing gender reassignment surgery and prescribing cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers.
The Save Women’s Sports Act, sponsored by State Representative Jena Powell (R-Arcanum), prevents biological males who identify as transgender from participating in girls’ and womens’ sports. The legislation would require schools, state institutions of higher education, and private colleges to designate separate single-sex teams and sports for each sex.
Governor DeWine has 10 days to approve House Bill 68 as of its passage on Wednesday,
Former NCAA swimmer and conservative activist Riley Gaines, who recently testified in support of both the SAFE Act and the Save Women’s Sports Act, applauded the passage of the bills and urged her X followers to encourage the governor to “do the right thing” by signing House Bill 68 into law.
The president of Ohio’s largest Christian public policy organization, Center for Christian Virtue (CCV), also applauded the passage of House Bill 68.
“No child is born in the wrong body, and no girl should lose her right to a fair playing field in Ohio sports. The General Assembly has sent a clear message today to the state: Children should not be experimented on, and we care about the safety and privacy of our girls,” CCV president Aaron Baer said. “The SAFE Act and Save Women’s Sports Act (HB68) are common-sense provisions that have strong support across the state. I’m grateful for the courage and tenacity of bill sponsors Rep. Gary Click and Rep. Jena Powell for leading the charge for our children in Ohio. I’m also grateful for Senator Kristina Roegner’s leadership in the Senate.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
