New Ohio Bill Would Punish Doctors Who Help Transgender Children Transition
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A bill has been introduced in Ohio that would punish doctors who help transgender youth transition.
Republican Reps. Ron Hood of Ashville and Bill Dean of Xenia plan to introduce the "Protect Vulnerable Children Act" this week, reports Cincinnati.com.
Under the bill, doctors will reportedly be charged with a third-degree felony for attempting therapeutic or surgical procedures intended to alter the gender of someone under age 18.
Convictions for a third-degree felony is punishable by up to 3 years in prison.
Parents may also file civil lawsuits against physicians for providing treatment.
"My number one concern, by far and away, is the irreversible nature of these procedures," Hood told The Enquirer. "These procedures, most of them, lead to sterilization. And these things are not reversible."
Ohio isn't the first state to introduce this type of bill.
A similar bill has been introduced in Kentucky and several other states.
The news comes on the same day that NBA star Dwayne Wade announced that his 12-year old child came out as transgender.
"Zaya, our 12-year-old, came home — I don't know if everyone knows, originally named Zion; Zion, born as a boy — came home and said, 'Hey, so I want to talk to you guys. I think going forward, I'm ready to live my truth. And I want to be referenced as she and her. I'd love for you guys to call me Zaya,'" Wade revealed.
The Ohio bill would potentially affect all major Ohio hospitals.
Akron Children's Hospital opened its Center for Gender Affirming Medicine last July for patients as young as 7 years old.
A recent study from the American Academy of Pediatrics surveyed more than 20,000 transgender adults, and found that people who received gender-related medical treatment as teens were less likely to have suicidal thoughts.
