Kentucky’s Democratic governor on Friday vetoed a Republican bill that would have barred transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming health care and restricted the public restrooms they use, defying a Republican-led national movement, Reuters reported.

Gov. Andy Beshear, who is running for a second term in Republican-dominated Kentucky in November, said the bill would increase youth suicide rates and allow excessive government interference in personal health care decisions.

Supporters of the bill said it tries to protect children from gender confirmations they may regret later in life.

A Kentucky bill would allow teachers to refuse to refer to transgender students by their chosen pronouns, ban sex-reassignment surgery on minors, end the use of puberty blockers and ban hospital sex “confirmations.”

The bill easily passed the Republican-led Kentucky Legislature, and lawmakers could vote next week to override Beshear’s veto.

The bill is part of a nationwide Republican strategy on the LGBTQ community, which includes banning the discussion of gender identity in schools, cracking down on drag shows and blocking transgender participation in sports.

Last week, the states of Iowa and Georgia passed bills that would ban transgender minors from asserting their gender identity and transgender students from using school bathrooms that match their gender identity.

In Kentucky, Beshear said in a statement that the bill would turn teachers into “investigators” who poke their noses into students’ lives. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky said it would challenge the law in court if it becomes law.