The Republican governor of Ohio (WCHS) vetoed a bill on Friday that would have prohibited transgender student athletes from participating in girls’ sports and gender-affirming care for minors.
Gov. Mike DeWine put the contentious measure on hold, stating that he could not “sign the bill as it is currently written.”
Under Ohio House Bill 68, minor trans individuals would not be allowed to receive estrogen treatments, surgeries, or puberty blockers.
DeWine said Ohio has no business deciding on various gender-affirming health care and mental health issues on its own, even though he opposes any therapies for people under the age of 18.
DeWine said, “In the end, I think this has to do with protecting human life.” “Many parents have told me that if their child hadn’t received the care they received from one of Ohio’s children’s hospitals, they would not have survived and would be dead today.”
The bill also prohibited transgender athletes from participating in girls’ sports, but the governor claimed he found so many flaws in the bill’s medical provisions that the sports component was unimportant to him.
According to DeWine, the state may manage clinics through administrative processes, ban therapies for those under 18, and keep track of procedures. The Safe Act, according to the governor, deprives families of far too much.
Before DeWine refused to sign it, the legislation had the support of more than 60% of Ohio’s lawmakers, despite being a part of an overall effort by Christian and conservative groups to limit transgender people’s access to healthcare and the ability to participate in sports.
It’s possible that the move won’t carry much weight. Republicans control the Ohio Legislature with a supermajority, just like in West Virginia and Kentucky, and they may challenge the veto.
There are limitations on transgender children in more than 20 states.
A federal appeals court is still debating West Virginia’s restrictions on transgender sports. After Republican Governor Jim Justice signed the bill, a legislation prohibiting gender-affirming maintenance will go into effect in the next year. Justice signed it in March.
