House Committee Hears SAFE Act for First Time

COLUMBUS – State Representative Gary Click (R-Vickery) presented the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act Wednesday to members of the House Public Health Policy Committee. 

The legislation would safeguard minors experiencing gender identity disorder from experimental medicalized treatments like surgeries, prescriptions of puberty blocking drugs, and cross-sex hormones.

“This legislation is about protecting children,” Click said. “Minors do not have the ability to provide informed consent to any of these dangerous procedures. This bill ensures that children will receive safe, appropriate, and ethical healthcare, and protect their right to make these choices until the time that they are able to legally and rationally consider the risks and rewards.”

The SAFE Act provides additional protections for children and families by assuring that minors experiencing gender-dysphoria are screened for comorbidities like depression, ADHD, anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, and other mental health conditions, as well as trauma and abuse.  In addition, the bill specifies that parents or guardians shall be notified of a minor’s diagnosis with a gender-related condition and consenting before the minor undergoes treatment. It also prevents courts from revoking child custody from a parent or guardian on the basis of their beliefs regarding gender or gender treatment.

Furthermore, in an aim to increase the body of knowledge surrounding health care for gender dysphoria, the bill prompts the Ohio Department of Health to collect anonymized statistics on mental health treatments for patients under the age of 18 experiencing gender dysphoria and to report that data annually to the Ohio General Assembly.

The legislation now awaits additional hearings in the House Public Health Policy Committee.