Following Governor Mike DeWine’s break with his party to veto a bill that would impose significant new restrictions on the lives of transgender children, there will likely be legal action taken in Ohio.
The bill, HB 68, prohibits physicians from treating transgender students in a gender-affirming manner. Additionally, it prohibits trans female student athletes from participating in female sports.
DeWine stated on Friday that “the state knows better what is medically ideal for a child than the two people who love that child the most: the parents,” by vetoing HB 68.
Without a parent or guardian’s consent, Ohio hospitals do not provide younger patients with gender-affirming care.
“No one should underestimate the seriousness and difficulties of those decisions,” the governor said, adding that parents are making decisions about the most important thing in their lives—their child. “Some parents have told me that without the care they received from an Ohio children’s hospital, their child would be dead now.”
Republican DeWine’s veto was a rare victory for LGBTQ+ activists who had spent the previous year battling an unprecedented uptick in anti-trans legislation and rhetoric in the US.
The governor’s veto, according to Maria Bruno, policy director for Equality Ohio, was “relief” for the transgender youth, parents, medical professionals, and educators in Ohio who can now take a breath and resume their lives.
However, that relief might not last long. Top Ohio Republicans, including Frank LaRose, the secretary of state, are now urging the state legislature to override the governor’s veto and overturn his decision.
LaRose stated that it is our responsibility to protect the safety and fair competition for female athletes as well as to prevent children from undergoing life-altering, irreversible medical procedures before the age of 18.
In an effort to revive the bill before the official start of the 2024 legislative session, Republican speaker Jason Stephens announced this week that the Ohio house would meet on January 10, days earlier than scheduled. Stephens’ attempt to override the governor is likely to be successful because Republicans control both chambers of the Ohio legislature.
Stephens expressed disappointment over the governor’s veto of House Bill 68. “The house and the bill sponsors have devoted almost three years to getting the bill right.”
Thousands of Ohio residents, including the families of transgender children, have spoken out in vehement opposition to the GOP-backed bill, despite Stephens’ conviction that HB 68 is a measure to “empower parents and protect children.”
Individuals who oppose the restrictions on gender-affirming care submitted more than 600 written statements to the Ohio House last year, compared to only 56 in favor.
Minna Zelch, the mother of a trans daughter, questioned why she and her husband “are qualified to make other medical decisions for our children, such as if they really need surgery for a broken bone or taking ADHD medication, but we’re not qualified in our decision to choose whether and when they receive gender care” in her testimony against the bill.
All transgender children and their families should have the fundamental freedom to choose the health care they receive, Zelch continued.
