Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson Vetoes Bill To Ban Transgender Surgery For Minors

Republican Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Monday he would veto a bill that would have banned transgender surgery for minors.

Hutchinson made the announcement to reporters, describing the bill as a “vast government overreach,” and said that the state shouldn’t jump into every “medical, human, and ethical issue.” “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,” Hutchinson began. “I don’t shy away from a 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 HB 1570.”