Arkansas governor vetoes bill that would ban gender-confirming treatments for transgender youth

“This is a government overreach.”
Image Credit: The Commercial Appeal via USA Today Network, FILE

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson vetoed a bill Monday that would have banned gender-confirming treatments for transgender youths in the state.

During a news conference with reporters, the Republican governor said the intentions behind the state legislature’s “Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act” were “well-intended but off course.”

The act bars doctors from providing gender-affirming health care to transgender minors, including hormones, puberty blockers and transition-related surgeries.

“This is a government overreach,” he said at the news conference. “You are starting to let lawmakers interfere with health care and set a standard for legislation overriding health care. The state should not presume to jump into every ethical health decision.”

https://abcnews.go.com/US/arkansas-governor-vetoes-bill-ban-gender-confirming-treatments/story?id=76883145