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From The Hill: An Ohio appeals court declared Tuesday that a portion of a 2023 law banning gender-affirming medical care for minors is unconstitutional, ruling that a lower court erred in deciding the law does not infringe on the rights of parents or violate parts of the state’s constitution.
A three-judge panel for Ohio’s 10th District Court of Appeals reversed an August judgment that allowed House Bill 68 to take effect after a district court temporarily halted the measure’s enforcement last spring. The ruling sends the case back to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.
The law, which Republican Gov. Mike DeWine initially vetoed before Ohio’s GOP-led legislature voted to override him, bans transition-related care, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, for minors. It also bars transgender student-athletes from joining girls’ and women’s sports teams.
Two 12-year-old transgender girls, backed by the ACLU, its Ohio affiliate and the law firm Goodwin, sued the state in March 2024, arguing that House Bill 68’s health care restrictions put their and other trans youths’ health and well-being “at risk of severe and irreversible harm.”
The Hill notes that the plaintiffs, who are biological boys identifying as girls, did not challenge the law’s ban on gender transitions surgeries.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) promptly announced his office will appeal the ruling.
AG Yost issued the following statement in response to the 10th District Court of Appeals ruling in Moe v. Yost: pic.twitter.com/HXdyuLJejW
— Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (@OhioAG) March 18, 2025
Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, who is running for governor of Ohio, blasted the ruling.
“This ruling is flatly wrong. No child should be subjected to irreversible, life-altering procedures & chemical interventions before the age of consent. I am confident the Ohio Supreme Court will reverse this decision on appeal,” Ramaswamy wrote in a post on X.
This ruling is flatly wrong. No child should be subjected to irreversible, life-altering procedures & chemical interventions before the age of consent. I am confident the Ohio Supreme Court will reverse this decision on appeal. https://t.co/Llq9IGYEoQ
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) March 18, 2025
The ACLU of Ohio is celebrating their victory, and wrote on social media:
Today, in an historic win, a three judge panel on the Tenth District Court of Appeals overturned House Bill 68, Ohio’s law banning gender-affirming medical care for trans youth.
We celebrate this win not only for our brave plaintiffs, but for all LGBTQ+ Ohioans and their families. The Court’s decision soundly rejects this interference of politicians with Ohioans’ bodily autonomy.
The path towards protecting the rights and civil liberties of trans Ohioans goes on, and we will continue to hold the torch. To trans youth statewide: We see you, we value you, and we’re fighting for you.
🎉🎉BREAKING: Today, in an historic win, a three judge panel on the Tenth District Court of Appeals overturned House Bill 68, Ohio’s law banning gender-affirming medical care for trans youth. pic.twitter.com/bQVRcYINaS
— ACLU of Ohio (@acluohio) March 18, 2025
The path towards protecting the rights and civil liberties of trans Ohioans goes on, and we will continue to hold the torch.
To trans youth statewide: We see you, we value you, and we’re fighting for you. 🩵🩷🤍
Full release: https://t.co/3vaDpRSZ7b
— ACLU of Ohio (@acluohio) March 18, 2025
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