Richardson Helps SAFE Act, Save Women's Sports Act with House Vote

COLUMBUS – The Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act and the Save Women’s Sports Act passed an Ohio House vote Wednesday with the help of State Representative Tracy Richardson (R-Marysville).

The SAFE Act will focus on providing children that are experiencing gender identity disorder with additional mental health resources and will prevent medical professionals from performing experimental medicalized treatments like surgeries, prescriptions of puberty blocking drugs and cross-sex hormones to anyone under the age of 18. 

“Both pieces of legislation have similar goals in mind of supporting and protecting Ohio’s children,” said Richardson. “We need to provide protections from children taking irreversible risks and making life altering decisions at such a young age. We also need to ensure young women have the opportunity to build confidence and compete against those of the same biological sex. This legislation is the answer.”

To protect the rights of parents, the bill specifies a parent or guardian must be informed of a minor’s mental health diagnosis with a gender-related condition and consent must be given prior to counseling. Additionally, minors must also be screened for additional conditions like depression, ADHD, anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, and other mental health conditions, as well as trauma and abuse.  

Added to the legislation during the committee process, the Save Women’s Sports Act also passed through the house as a part of the SAFE Act vote. The legislation will ensure biological males can not compete in female-only sports in Ohio. 

The legislation will now head to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.