Ohio’s Republican Gov.
Mike DeWine on Friday unveiled a slate of administrative rules meant to restrict access to gender-affirming health care for transgender adults, one week after vetoing legislation that would have banned care for minors.
DeWine said during a press conference that Ohio’s Department of Health and Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services would be filing rules for public comment Friday that, once effective, will provide additional protections for both transgender minors and adults receiving care.
One of the rules, he said, will require transgender adults seeking access to medications like hormones to retain a multidisciplinary team “including but not limited to an endocrinologist, a bioethicist and a psychiatrist.” Transgender adults in Ohio may currently receive care from a single clinician, although treatment plans differ based on a patient’s individual needs.
“Candidly, as I expressed a week ago, I am concerned that there could be fly-by-night providers and clinics that might be dispensing medication to adults with no counseling and no basic standards to assure quality care,” DeWine said Friday. “The rules that we are announcing today will take care of that. We need to ensure that adults, as well as children, are protected.”
DeWine added that the rules will require transgender adults to obtain from their providers a “comprehensive care plan” including “lengthy” mental health counseling before they can be considered for any medical interventions.
DeWine’s proposal is among the nation’s most stringent for transgender adults seeking access to gender-affirming medical care, and is likely to bottleneck resources, and worsen financial strain on individuals seeking gender-affirming care.