“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.”