LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas’ governor has vetoed legislation that would have made his state the first to ban gender confirming treatments for transgender youth, though lawmakers could enact the restriction over his objections.
Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Monday rejected the measure that would have prohibited doctors from providing gender-confirming hormone treatment or surgery to minors, or from referring them to other providers for the treatment. His move followed pleas from pediatricians, social workers, and the parents of trans youth.
The bill is among several targeting transgender people that have otherwise easily advanced in Arkansas. Hutchinson’s veto can be overridden by a simple majority of the Legislature.
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