OAN’s Brooke Mallory
1:42 PM – Friday, December 29, 2023
The Republican governor of Ohio has rejected a bill that would have prevented children who identify as transgender from obtaining “gender-affirming” care, like hormone therapies and gender-reassignment surgery.
Governor Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) stated that signing the measure would “be saying that the state, the government” knows better than parents regarding what is best for their children.
House Bill 68 was enacted by state legislators right before the holidays.
For adolescents who identify as transgender or non-binary, the bill would have outlawed gender-related medical and surgical care, hormone replacement therapy, hormone blockers, and some mental health services.
Additionally, the measure would have forbade transgender female athletes, who are biologically boys that identify as transgender girls, from competing in female sports.
The veto coincides with legislation from other jurisdictions prohibiting gender-affirming care that advocates say promotes gender equality.
About 20 states have done so, according to the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group. According to the organization, states with such laws are home to nearly 30% of transgender children with gender dysphoria between the ages of 13 and 17. The group applauded DeWine’s veto on Friday.
“This is a major victory for transgender youth and their families in Ohio,” according to their statement on X (Twitter).
The governor claimed that the majority of young people who have transitioned told him that, “[They] are thriving today because of that transition,” DeWine said at a recent news conference.
For “transgender youth and their family members” in Ohio, “the consequences of this bill could not be more profound,” he continued. “Ultimately, I believe this is about protecting human life.”
According to DeWine, young people, parents, and medical experts should “make decisions together on what gender-confirming care is right for them.”
However, DeWine refused to address the bill’s other goal, which was to forbid biological boys who identify as transgender girls from competing athletically in female-geared sports competitions.
Many conservative social media users chimed in on the news of DeWine’s veto decision.
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