Ohio AG Yost Challenges Halt on State’s Transgender Youth Healthcare Ban
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has requested the Ohio Supreme Court to overturn a lower court’s temporary block on the state’s law banning minors from obtaining gender-affirming healthcare. Yost argues that the block is too broad and affects millions of people beyond the two transgender girls who challenged the law.
The lower court judge, Michael Holbrook, issued a 14-day hold on House Bill 68, which was set to take effect on Wednesday. The bill not only bans minors from receiving hormone therapy and puberty suppressants but also prohibits transgender girls and women from participating in female scholastic sports.
Yost claims that Holbrook overstepped his authority by putting the entire law on hold and that the injunction violates Ohio statutes and equitable principles. He emphasizes that the relief ordered by Holbrook applies to the entire state, rather than just the two plaintiffs, which is unlawful.
The Ohio Supreme Court will now decide the pace at which it addresses the case and whether it will consider the issue at all. Meanwhile, the temporary block on the law remains in place, creating uncertainty for hospitals, schools, and universities that must take steps to comply with the law before it goes into effect on April 24, 2024.
