Arkansas governor vetos bill blocking youth gender-affirming surgery while slamming US ‘culture war’ on trans rights

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has vetoed a bill that would block doctors from providing gender-affirming care to transgender minors, calling it a "product of the cultural war in America".

The Republican said when announcing his veto that while the bill was "well intended", it was "off course".

The bill would have prohibited doctors from providing minors with gender-affirming hormone treatment, puberty blockers, or surgery if they were under the age of 18 years old. Medical professionals would also be unable to refer the minors to other providers for treatment and could face discipline from the state licensing board by breaking the law, if it passed.

"House Bill 1570 would put the state as the definitive oracle of medical care, overriding parents, patients and health care experts," Mr Hutchinson said during a press briefing. "While in some instances the state must act to protect life, the state should not presume to jump into the middle of every medical, human and ethical issue.”

"This would be, and is, a vast government overreach," he added.

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Another worry of the governor was that the bill, if it passed, would force transgender youth to stop treatment if they already started.

“That makes my heart break to think about it,” Mr Hutchinson said.

The governor went on to state that the bill was a "product of the cultural war in America" that has launched across states in the US to pass anti-trans legislation.

“I was told this week that the nation is looking at Arkansas because I have on my desk another bill passed by the general assembly that is a product of the cultural war in America. I don’t shy away from the battle when it is necessary and defensible, but the most recent action of the general assembly, while well intended, is off course and I must veto House Bill 1570,” he said.

The Republican-led general assembly could override Mr Hutchinson’s veto, and the governor said he anticipated they would, but he instead urged them to come up with a “more restrained approach” to address transgender youth.

States like Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee have all enacted legislation in recent months that specifically targetted the transgender community. All three states passed a law that prevented transgender girls and women from competing in sports as their affirmed identity.

Mr Hutchinson also signed into law on Friday a law that allowed doctors to refuse treatment to someone due to religious or moral objections. This law was criticised by LGBTQ activists because they said it could allow doctors to deny care to members of that community.