On January 5, the DeWine administration announced two executive regulations and an executive order restricting gender-affirming care for Ohio residents. His two executive regulations allow states to restrict access to health care for transgender adults through the Department of Health, Department of Mental Health, and Department of Addiction Services.
This story was originally buckeye frame Republished here with permission.
On January 5, the DeWine administration announced two executive regulations and an executive order restricting gender-affirming care for Ohio residents. The executive order banning gender reassignment surgery for minors went into effect immediately.
The two administrative regulations are Faculty of Health Sciences and Mental health and addiction servicesrestricting access to health care for transgender adults.
of proposed rule It will look like this:
- Limiting the ability of hospitals and clinics to diagnose gender dysphoria in transgender adults.
- Require health care providers to document and report “de-identified” medical data of all transgender patients to the State of Ohio every 30 days. This “includes any medical or surgical service, including physician services, inpatient and outpatient hospital services, or prescription drugs and hormones.”
- Transgender adults receive detailed care plans from physical therapists, endocrinologists, and bioethicists before “prescribing, initiating, or providing treatment for gender-related conditions,” including the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). and medical consent. .
- It would require transgender adults under 21 to “undergo a comprehensive mental health evaluation” for “at least six months” in order to receive gender-affirming medical care.
Restrictions on adult gender-affirming care remain rare nationally – Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Missouri have tried (and failed) to pass legislation. Adult restrictions apply.
in florida, restrictions on adult treatment are impacting people's ability to receive hormone replacement therapy. To track the latest updates on these laws across the country, you can find the latest information here. On the MAP.
One thing is certain: these new rules are extremely complex and await further legal analysis. Both rules are ambiguous and complex, with disagreements in important places, leading to incredibly diverse interpretations even among experts.
Experts across the state are still weighing the rules and their implications. However, it is clear that this rule, if implemented, will have a significant impact on care, especially for smaller providers. The devil is in the details.
What is also clear is that the government's new rules are incredibly unethical, despite requiring the involvement of ethicists in developing care plans. As a bioethics graduate student, this request was noteworthy to me.
Bioethics, the study of medical moral and ethical guidelines, is not a sanctioned field, but rather a highly interdisciplinary field that studies all aspects of medicine. Simply put, bioethics asks: we should do something It's not about whether you can do it or not.
Many hospitals in Ohio have bioethicists on staff who work with doctors and families to make complex medical decisions. They typically facilitate life-or-death conversations about whether to continue treatment, mediate disputes about cultural and spiritual beliefs, and help hospitals allocate resources in times of crisis. You will be asked for it.
There is usually a central issue of concern or disagreement, such as whether someone's care is being managed in the best way for the patient. But in this situation, there really is no disagreement. pretty clear from both medicine and ethical perspective that gender-affirming care is safe, effective, and the best medical care available;
All four principles of ethics apply. These are beneficence (acting in the patient's interest), non-malice (doing no harm), autonomy (making decisions for oneself), and justice.
What the opposition claims is a violation do no harm It's simply not harmful, it's an evidence-backed, patient-centered treatment.In fact, it is against the doctor's duty. do not have Act When a patient is suffering, it is in the patient's best interest.
The benefits are obvious. LGBTQ+ people of all ages receive treatment; live in a positive environment have Improved resultsincluding strong ones long term results. If the patient, family, all major medical associations, and attending physicians agree on the best course of action, there are no ethical issues that require bioethicist approval. There are no real ethical questions here other than, “Why would the government be involved in patient care in the first place?”
DeWine administration rules If enacted into administrative law, it would complicate treatment for patients across the state, even adults. As such, it would be a violation of the duties that physicians, mental health providers, social workers, and other care professionals owe to their patients, both adults and children.
The complex nature of administrative law (including two proposed regulations with different dates) is purposeful and designed to keep the public out. Submitting public comments is the most important way to provide feedback on these rules.
ignite action
- Comments on the Department of Health's draft regulations should be submitted to: [email protected] by then at the latest Monday, February 5th.
- Comments regarding the proposed regulations for the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services should be emailed to: [email protected] By 5pm on Friday January 19, 2024. Please state “Comments regarding Gender Transition Care Regulations” in the subject line of your email.
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