Republican Governor of Ohio Mike DeWine announced on Friday that he has vetoed a bill that would have prohibited healthcare professionals from providing gender-affirming care for transgender minors, stating that, in his opinion, families should make this decision rather than the government.
The Republican governor claimed that after consulting with doctors and families on a “fact-gathering mission,” he decided to veto House Bill 68, also known as the SAFE Act. Earlier this month, the bill was passed by both chambers of the Ohio Legislature, and Friday was the last day DeWine could veto it. Additionally, the bill would have prohibited transgender student-athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports in K–12 schools as well as in colleges and universities.
DeWine stated during his news conference, “If I signed House Bill 68 or if it were to become law, Ohio would be saying that the position, the state, knows better what is best for a child than the two people who know that child the best—the families.”
“People on both sides of the debate are extremely passionate about it,” according to DeWine. “Decisions are not easy. They simply aren’t, you know. Unfortunately, we often find ourselves making decisions in life where neither option is really what we would like, but we still have to make a choice. And I just believed that the families were the best ones to make those decisions.”
Mike DeWine, the governor of Ohio, is shown in a file photo taken in 2019 by Paul Vernon.
DeWine has taken a different path by vetoing the bill than many of his Republican colleagues in Ohio and across the nation. In an effort to outlaw gender-affirming care for children under 18, a number of states have passed legislation. It requires three-fifths of the Ohio House and Senate members to override a governor’s veto, and it is still unclear whether the state legislature has the support to do so.
DeWine stated that most people are seeking hormone therapy rather than surgical options when speaking with families and doctors. DeWine asserted that everyone he spoke with agreed that gender-affirming treatment “must be a process” that includes mental health counseling and that no one should be allowed to receive treatment without first undergoing counseling.
DeWine reported on Friday that based on his discussions with children’s hospitals, about two-thirds of kids decided not to pursue gender-affirming treatment.
“Everyone agrees that there needs to be a process and a focus on mental health,” he said.
The governor of Ohio acknowledged that some Republicans would disagree with his decision, but he insisted that “the buck stops with me on this” as the state’s chief executive.
DeWine stated, “The Ohio way is to process things thoughtfully, to follow the data, and to be cautious.” “And if Ohio does this—which is exactly what I want us to do—I believe it can serve as a model for other states.”
Leading LGBTQ advocacy organization The Human Rights Campaign praised DeWine’s decision.
According to Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson, “Ohio families don’t want politicians meddling in decisions that should be between parents, their children, and their doctors.” “Instead, politicians shouldn’t be making it harder for them to feel loved and accepted. Parents, schools, and doctors should all do everything they can to support all youth, including transgender youth. I appreciate Gov. DeWine for giving young transgender Ohioans the right advice and listening to the residents of his state.”
