In his veto speech, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine stated that “in the end, I believe this is about protecting human life.”
The quick return from holiday by the Ohio House of Representatives will hasten efforts to override Gov. HB 68 was vetoed by Mike DeWine (R) and would forbid transgender youth from receiving gender-affirming care and from participating in female sports teams in high school and college.
DeWine stated in his veto message, “Ultimately, I believe this is about protecting human life.” “Many parents have told me that if their child hadn’t received the care they received from an Ohio children’s hospital, they would still be alive today. Those who are presently adults have even told me that without this care, they might have committed suicide when they were teenagers.”
Transgender rights activists praised DeWine’s veto.
Lawmakers shouldn’t sway decisions that should be made by parents, their children, and their doctors, according to Ohioans. Politicians shouldn’t be making it more difficult for transgender youth to feel loved and accepted, according to Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson. Instead, parents, schools, and doctors should all do everything they can to ensure that all youth feel accepted and loved. “I appreciate Gov. DeWine for giving young transgender Ohioans the right guidance and listening to the citizens of his state.”
According to studies, transgender youth who have access to gender-affirming care experience lower rates of suicidal ideation and depression. As a result, more than 30 top health organizations support the treatment of gender dysphoria with gender-affirming care.
The Ohio Children’s Hospital Association stated in a statement in December that if this bill is passed, it will be devastating to children and their families who are already at their most vulnerable and may create an insurmountable barrier between patients and medical professionals for often life-saving care.
Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that bans on gender-affirming care and trans sports have a negative impact on transgender children’s mental health. According to a recent study by the Trevor Project, policies prohibiting transgender boys from competing on boys’ sports teams and girls from participating in girls’ athletic teams caused 64 percent of transgender and nonbinary youth to feel angry, 44 percent to experience sadness, 39 percent experience stress, and 30 percent feel hopeless. The study also revealed that 74 percent of transgender and intersex children felt angry and 59 percent felt stressed as a result of policies prohibiting doctors from providing gender-affirming care to them.
“What so many of these young people and their families have even told me is that nothing they have experienced in life has ever been able to prepare them for this incredibly difficult journey. Parents are making decisions about the most important factor in their lives, their child, and none of us may overlook the weight and difficulty of those decisions,” DeWine said in his veto speech.
Former president Donald Trump, Florida governor, and DeWine both vetoed the unfair anti-trans bill. Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Ron DeSantis (R) put a lot of pressure on Ohio lawmakers to override the veto. Republicans might not have received the necessary three-fifths of the votes in the House and the Senate to override DeWine’s veto, despite the fact that HB 68 actually passed the Ohio House 62 to 27 and 24 to 8. Advocates contend that even though there are only 59 votes required in the House, some lawmakers might object to the idea of overriding a governor’s veto or won’t make it past the vote date of January 10.
Transgender activist Erin Reed wrote, “The bill is now back in the legislature and offers a temporary relief for parents and families of young trans people. Republicans must make a crucial choice right now: support conventional influencers who support policies that are harmful to transgender youth for political gain, or emphasize the welfare of Ohio families and follow best clinical practices.”
If the House is successful in overriding the veto, the policy will go to the Senate for authorization, and it will then go into effect after 90 days. The Department of Justice and transgender rights organizations are currently challenging other gender-affirming treatment bans across the nation, so the rules would probably be challenged in court.
