Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Monday vetoed a bill that sought to ban gender reassignment surgeries and hormone treatments for children under the age of 18.
Hutchinson said he believed the bill, House Bill 1570, is overly broad and could set a new standard of government interference into medical care and relationships between medical providers, youths, and their parents. The governor said he was also worried that the measure could lead to detrimental consequences for some youths, such as suicidal tendencies and drug use, and also took issue over the lack of accommodation for youths who are currently undergoing transition treatments.