The Republican governor of Ohio 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 have been allowed to receive estrogen treatments, surgeries, or puberty blockers.
DeWine said that Ohio has no business deciding on various gender-affirming health care and mental health issues on its own, even though he opposes any treatments for individuals under the age of 18.
DeWine said, “In the end, I think this is about 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 female sports, but the governor claimed he found so many flaws in the bill’s medical provisions that the sports component was irrelevant to him.
According to DeWine, the state may manage clinics through administrative processes, ban treatments 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 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.
More than 20 states have limitations on transgender children.
A federal appeals court is still debating West Virginia’s restrictions on transgender sports. After Republican Governor signed the bill, legislation prohibiting gender-affirming care will go into effect in the following year. In March, Jim Justice signed.
