COLUMBUS- Today, the Supreme Court of Ohio granted the state’s emergency request to stay a ruling from the Tenth District Court of Appeals that would have blocked the state from enforcing House Bill 68, a law banning gender affirming medical care for transgender youth.
Previously, on March 18, the Tenth District Court of Appeals held that HB 68’s prohibition on puberty blockers and hormone therapy is unconstitutional, and ordered the trial court to enter a permanent injunction blocking it. The state responded by filing a motion asking the appellate court to stay the injunction, pending a full appeal to the Supreme Court of Ohio. The appellate court denied the state’s motion on April 3, so the state filed a similar motion with the high court. To date, the trial court - the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas - has not issued an injunction, so the ban on gender affirming care for trans adolescents has remained in effect.
The following is a reaction to the ruling:
Freda Levenson, Legal Director at the ACLU of Ohio:
“It is a terrible shame that the Supreme Court of Ohio is permitting the state to evade compliance with the Ohio Constitution. Our clients have suffered tangible and irreparable harm during the eight months that HB 68 has been in place, including being denied essential health care in their home state. The Court of Appeals was correct that HB 68 violates at least two separate provisions of the Ohio Constitution. We will continue to fight this extreme ban as the case goes ahead before the Supreme Court of Ohio.”
