The Rundown: Ohio bans transgender hormones on children, again!
Center for Christian Virtue's The Rundown is the most important political and cultural news for Christians in Ohio. If you find this newsletter insightful, don't forget to share it!
What's Happening
Ohio
Keeping Kids SAFE: It's been a full week for court proceedings on the Saving Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act, which banned sterilizing children with transgender hormones. On Tuesday, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled 4–3 to reinstate the law, granting Attorney General Yost's request to overturn a lower court's block. Republican Justices DeWine, Deters, Shanahan, and Hawkins formed the majority, while Chief Justice Kennedy and Justice Fischer joined Democrat Justice Brunner in dissent. On Wednesday, Center for Christian Virtue filed a brief on behalf of former US Attorney General Edwin Meese, countering the opposition's erroneous use of his past opinion.
Desire vs. Need: The Ohio Supreme Court is deciding whether parents in same-sex relationships before the 2015 legalization of same-sex marriage have the same parental rights as married heterosexual parents. The Cincinnati case involves two women who used a sperm donor to have children before they split. The biological mother sued to end their parenting arrangement in 2018. While one attorney argued that "it's in the best interest of the children to have the legal recognition and stability that Obergefell promises," Scripture and research are clear that children do best with a married mom and dad.
A No Brainer: A new study by the Urban Institute found that students participating in Ohio's EdChoice program were substantially more likely to enroll in and 53 percent more likely to graduate college compared to their peers in public schools. The enrollment increases were most notable for male students, Black students, low-income students, and students with below-average test scores before leaving public school. Students who remained in public school also experienced modest gains in college attendance and graduation rates.
US
Bias Be Gone: The US Department of Health and Human Services released a comprehensive report that reviewed the evidence and best practices for treating pediatric gender dysphoria, revealing serious risks from gender transition procedures, including puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries. The report raises ethical concerns about current medical practices and calls for more rigorous, evidence-based standards of care.
Unsafe, Ineffective: The Ethics and Public Policy Center just published the largest study of the abortion pill ever done, and its results are devastating. The study found that over 1 in 10 women who take the abortion pill mifepristone suffer a potentially life-threatening serious adverse event—such as sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging—within 45 days, which is at least 22 times higher than the FDA's claim. For more information on this study, watch for tomorrow's episode of The Narrative with report author Jamie Hall.
The Sum of It: The University of Louisville has agreed to pay a former professor nearly $1.6 million after the university demoted him and refused to renew his contract following off-campus expert testimony on the dangers of transgender interventions on children. The lawsuit said that the professor was demoted at the request of the university’s LGBT Center and several faculty members, who created a hostile environment and leaked information about his demotion to discredit him as an expert witness.
Take a Hint: A Maryland school district has stripped parents of the right to opt their children out of LGBTQ+ storybook lessons, claiming the number of requests made implementation "unworkable." The Montgomery County Education Board argued that honoring parental concerns created "substantial hurdles"—so rather than adjust the curriculum, they doubled down on mandatory instruction and now find themselves defending the move before the US Supreme Court.
World
OK in the UK: In yet another win for reality, the UK Supreme Court has ruled that men aren't women, even if they identify as transgender. The ruling also clarifies that men cannot be legally recognized as women even if they have a gender recognition certificate of a "transgender" identity.
Banning Holy Week: The Nicaraguan dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his "co-president" and wife, Rosario Murillo, is supposedly deploying 14,000 police officers to prevent Catholic processions during Holy Week, the third year in a row for the ban. The regime's persecution of Catholics has also included surveillance within churches and exiling and interrogating priests and other religious leaders.
From the President
Welcome to the movement Justice Brown! The best way to resolve so many of these cultural issues is the power of educational freedom, and empowering parents to pick the school that best meets their kids' needs. https://t.co/anFz2wyBjP
— Aaron Baer (@aarbaer) April 28, 2025
Listen Up: Reviving Families and Faith with JP De Gance
Did you know more than 70 percent of churches in America have no active marriage ministry? Communio is on a mission to change that—while also helping churches evangelize in their communities.
JP De Gance, Communio founder and president, explores how churches can take the lead in strengthening marriages and families through the hope of the Gospel.
Dive into:
⛪ Why marriages are struggling—and how the Church can respond
💍 What makes Communio different from traditional marriage ministries
💭 How churches can capture the social imagination of the next generation
🤝 How CCV and Communio's partnership will impact churches across Ohio
Worldview Development
As a Christian, whether Evangelical or Catholic, knowing how to engage in social-political conversations can be hard. Here is our top recommendation this week for developing your worldview to be equipped to tackle today's top issues:
Manufactured Consensus Around Trans ‘Medicine’ by John Stonestreet and Shane Morris
As The Daily Wire recently reported, according to findings by the watchdog group, the American Accountability Foundation, one woman was listed as "managing" or "executive" director on tax documents for 26 major medical organizations around the United States. Sue O’Sullivan holds these numerous roles through her position as co-founder of Veritas Association Management, an Illinois-based professional services company. However, she is also managing director for the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, or WPATH.
The Ethics of Brainless ‘Spare Bodies’ by John Stonestreet and Shane Morris
Even if "bodyoids" would be mere spare parts, how many "spare parts" should we transplant into someone’s body and for what reasons? Is there a number of parts that is "too far"? Let’s say, for the sake of discussion, "bodyoids" reached the stage at which they could replace much or even most of a person’s body and were even better parts, possibly delaying or reversing aging. Is that something we should do? At what point does a quest for health become a quest for immortality? What even is a human body, if not the sum of its parts?
Legislative Update
Drugs
In its first strategic report, the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center (ONIC) said that Mexican drug cartels manufacturing most of Ohio's illegal drugs from chemicals originating in China and India will likely make increasing use of technology and cryptocurrencies to decentralize operations and connect more customers and drug conspirators.
Ballot Issue
Attorney General Dave Yost announced that he had certified the petition for a proposed constitutional amendment that would end qualified immunity in Ohio in response to a U.S. Sixth Circuit Court ruling. The ballot initiative, titled "Protecting Ohioans' Constitutional Rights," would create a private right of action against state government actors who deprive a person of state constitutional rights, without qualified immunity for the government actors involved.
Elections
House Bill 197
Reps. Dan Troy (D-Willowick) and Beryl Brown Piccolantonio (D-Gahanna) have reintroduced legislation, House Bill 197 (HB197), that would move Ohio's presidential election-year primary elections from March to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May. HB197 is a reintroduction of Troy's 135-HB21, which only received two hearings in the last General Assembly. "Every fourth year, we schedule our primary election in mid-March, allegedly so that Ohio can be more of a player in the presidential primary races. Ohio's influence on that process has proven to be dubious at best, and it's time to return to a normal and consistent election schedule," said Troy in an announcement of the bill.
Secretary of State Race
Republican Marcell Strbich filed paperwork this week to run for secretary of state in 2026, setting up a potential primary next year. Strbich, a retired air force intelligence officer, has testified before the General Assembly on a number of elections bills, including legislation that would require proof of citizenship to vote, and also on the security of Ohio's voter registration database. His entry in the race would set up a possible primary with Treasurer Robert Sprague, who is term-limited and has announced he will run for secretary of state.
Take a moment to review where all of the CCV-backed bills currently stand in the 136th General Assembly!
Click here to learn how a bill becomes a law in Ohio.
Elections
Ohio's Primary Election is on Tuesday! There are no statewide offices on the ballot for the primary, but there will be a statewide ballot measure called Issue 2 to allow the state to issue up to $2.5 billion in general obligation bonds to assist local governments in funding public infrastructure projects.
Important Dates
Tuesday, May 6: Primary Election Day. Polls are open from 6:30 am to 7:30 pm.*
To Do
Are you registered to vote? You can easily register to vote or update your voter registration information online at olvr.ohiosos.gov.
Review what's on your ballot. Each county Board of Elections office has a list of the candidates and issues appearing on your ballot.
Learn more about Ohio elections, request an absentee ballot, and more here.
*Please note: a photo ID is required to cast a ballot. View accepted forms of ID.Don't Miss
Friday, May 9
Cincinnati Celebration Gala with Sage Steele
Join us for an elegant evening at our Cincinnati Celebration Gala, where you'll enjoy fine dining, receive the latest updates on Ohio politics, and hear about CCV's strategic efforts to strengthen marriage and family. This is an excellent opportunity to connect with hundreds of candidates, legislators, business leaders, ministry professionals, and passionate advocates from across Ohio.
Don’t miss this powerful, faith-centered event with Sage Steele, host of The Sage Steele Show and former ESPN sportscaster! Sponsor a table today.
Saturday, May 10
Columbus Celebration Gala with Ohio US Senators
Can't make the Cincinnati Gala? You're invited to join us in Columbus for dinner and the latest updates on Ohio politics and CCV's efforts to strengthen marriage and family, with Ohio US Senators Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted as the keynote presenters! Sponsor a table.
Friday, October 3
2025 Ohio March for Life
Our fourth annual statewide march for life will take place on Friday, October 3. Learn more and register to stay up to date here!
Prayer
Scripture calls us to pray for those in authority and to have confidence that God hears our prayers. Join the CCV team this week in praying for the below intentions.
Let's honor 1 Timothy 2 by praying for your elected officials! Find your lawmakers here.
CCV's fiscal year is coming to a close next month. Please pray over our budgeting and strategic planning as we seek the Lord's will for the next year.
Continue to pray over the SAFE Act lawsuit that Ohio will ultimately permanently protect children from the dangers of transgender medical treatments.
As Ohio’s largest Christian public policy organization, Center for Christian Virtue seeks the good of our neighbors by advocating for public policy that reflects the truth of the Gospel.
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