Arkansas overrides governor's veto to become the first state to ban gender care for minors

The Arkansas General Assembly overrode Governor Asa Hutchinson's veto on April 6, 2021, enacting HB 1570 — the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act — making Arkansas the first U.S. state to ban gender-affirming medical care for minors. The law prohibited physicians from prescribing puberty blockers or hormones to anyone under 18 for gender dysphoria treatment and barred the use of public funds for such procedures. Hutchinson, who opposed the bill, said it set a dangerous precedent of legislative interference in medical decision-making.