He declared his intention to veto the policy, saying, “Ultimately, I believe this is about protecting people’s lives.”
“Now, while there are a few instances in the law where the state overturns the parents’ medical decisions, I can’t think of any instances where this is done where it goes against not only the parents’ decision but also the treating physicians’ and medical teams’ judgments,” he said. As a result, I am unable to sign this bill in its current form.
DeWine, however, declared a three-pronged approach and stated that he thought administrative actions could address the bill’s key issues.
As part of gender-affirming care, he is ordering organizations to forbid surgery on children under the age of 18. He stated that he thinks there is a “fallacy out there that this goes straight to surgery.”
He will direct important agencies to report findings to the Legislature and the public about minors and adults seeking treatment because he agreed with the government that there were no complete data on those who receive gender-affirming treatment.
Lastly, DeWine stated that his administration would create rules and regulations to stop “pop-up clinics or fly-by-night operations” so that families could get “adequate counseling” regarding gender-affirming care.
When Ohio’s controversial legislation was being debated in the government, thousands of opponents testified against it, including medical and mental health professionals, educators, religious leaders, parents of transgender children, and trans people themselves.
They criticized the regulations for being callous, based more on fearmongering than on science, and endangering transgender youth’s quality of life.
Ohio minors would not have been allowed to take puberty blockers, receive hormone treatment, or have gender reassignment surgery that would further align them with their gender identity under the legislation, which passed the Senate earlier this month with only Democratic support. However, it would have permitted any minor who resides in Ohio to continue the treatment they are already receiving.
DeWine’s veto breaks the global trend toward passing such legislation. Despite the fact that these therapies have been available in the United States for more than ten years and have long been supported by major medical associations, since 2021, legislation restricting or outlawing them has come into effect. Although authorities have made conflicting decisions, the majority of those states are the targets of lawsuits.
Additionally, the bill would have explicitly prohibited transgender girls and women from participating in sports that were consistent with their gender identity and mandated that public K–12 schools and universities designate separate teams for male and female genders. Supporters argued that prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports upholds their fairness and integrity.
Some form of restrictions on transgender athletes competing on K–12 and collegiate sports teams has been passed by at least 20 states. A rule put forth by President Joe Biden’s administration that is scheduled to be finalized early next month would violate those bans.
The Associated Press’ Samantha Hendrickson authored this piece.
Canadian Press
