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Republican Governor Mike DeWine vetoed a bill that would have prohibited gender-affirming care for minors and prevented trans women and girls from competing in female sports teams in Ohio on Friday.
DeWine shot down the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act earlier this month after claiming he was unable to sign it “as it is currently written” in Ohio’s GOP-dominated state legislature.
Ohio Governor broke with his party’s supporters who backed the regulations. A measure that would have prohibited gender-affirming care for minors and transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports was vetoed by Mike DeWine on Friday.
“A very small number of Ohio’s children may be impacted by this act.” However, DeWine stated during a press conference that the effects of this act could not be more severe for those children who suffer from gender distress and for their families.
“In the end, I think this is about preserving human life. Some parents have told me that their child would not have survived and would still be dead now if they had not received the care they received from a children’s hospital in Ohio. Those who are now adults have also told me that if it weren’t for this care, they would have committed suicide as teenagers.”
DeWine claimed that before deciding, he spoke with people from both sides of the argument and visited several children’s hospitals in the state. He continued by saying that while vetoing the bill in the end, he agrees with the General Assembly’s concerns about the policy.
Riley Gaines puts heat on Republican Ohio governor to sign a ban on minors’ trans procedure.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine travels to Columbus, Ohio, for a press event on Friday.
The second involves outlawing minor surgery as part of gender-affirming treatment, increasing statistics monitoring for those receiving it, and finally putting in place measures to “prevent pop-up clinics or fly-by-night operations” that try to sell “inaccurate or even ideological treatments” to families or children.
“I firmly believe that in order to protect Ohio children, adults, and families in this area, we can work together, find common ground,” and choose regulations. It will be my goal in the upcoming weeks to have these protections implemented through a careful and legislative approach,” he said.
DeWine omitted from his opening remarks the part of the bill that sought to forbid trans women from participating in women’s and girls’ sports. The Republican governor stated during questioning that he focused on the regulations that “affected the most people and the most kids by far.”
Riley Gaines, a former NCAA Division I swimmer who put pressure on DeWine earlier this month, expressed disapproval of the decision in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“Gov. DeWine has proven himself to be an unrepentant coward who refuses to act morally and decisively. This veto does not represent the majority of Americans and Ohioans. I have faith that his veto can be overridden by the Ohio legislature,” she said.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine gives an interview with The Associated Press in Columbus, Ohio, on December 21.
A compromise between right and wrong is never a good idea.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, 22 states had passed legislation or executive orders prohibiting gender transition-related healthcare treatment for adolescents as of November. That cannot be implemented in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, or Indiana due to court rulings.
Liz Elkind of Fox News contributed to this article.
