Gender affirming mental healthcare is still legal in Ohio

HB 68, which bans nearly all gender-affirming medical care for transgender and gender diverse youth in Ohio, will become law in Ohio, following today's Senate override of Governor DeWine's veto. We are devastated that Ohio politicians have put political agendas and bigotry above the wellbeing of transgender and gender diverse youth and their families as well as the best-practice healthcare standards affirmed by every major medical association. We stand in solidarity with our transgender friends, family members, colleagues, clients and community members - we see you, and we will continue to fight with you.

Offer tangible support to trans folks by donating to TransOhio’s emergency fund>>

To our fellow social workers and mental healthcare providers:

While HB 68 will affect the regulation of our practice, HB 68 does NOT ban gender affirming mental healthcare, even for minors. Now is NOT the time to change how you practice. In the next 90 days before the law takes effect, it IS time to get informed and get prepared so that you can continue to offer the best possible care to your clients. Here are some things you can do to start preparing:

Read the final version of the bill yourself so that you are not relying on synopsis, headlines, or misinformation. The bill language is quite confusing at times, especially in its practical application to mental health practice, so take note of your questions. Read here>>

Read our summary of the bill. We will issue more practice guidance about how to adapt your practice in the coming weeks. Read NASW Ohio's guidance>>

Read NASW Ohio’s Gender-Affirming Care Whitepaper. Please note that there have been some small changes to HB 68 since the whitepaper was written. Read the white paper>>

Think through all the possible scenarios in which this bill could affect your practice and begin to think through how you would respond based on regulations, professional ethics, best-practice standards of care, etc. As you do this, write down practice scenarios in which the bill language leaves ambiguity or conflicts with other regulations, ethical standards, or even the safety of clients. NASW will ask for these scenarios soon.

Seek consultation. It is essential to seek consultation as you determine how you will respond to various situations given this new law. Email your questions and practice scenarios to NASW Ohio at info.naswoh@socialworkers.org. While we will likely not respond to your email right away, these questions and practice scenario examples will help us help you as we create practice guidance in response to this new law.