Ohio House Votes to Override DeWine’s Veto of Bill Banning Child Gender Medicalization

The Ohio House of Representatives on Wednesday afternoon voted to override Governor Mike DeWine’s veto of legislation that would ban child gender transition hormone therapy and surgeries as well as boys in girls’ sports.

In a 65–28 vote, the chamber, after convening for a special session, rejected the Republican governor’s attempt to kill the SAFE Act. The bill now heads to the state senate, which will be in session on January 24, for an override vote.

In a statement following his veto, DeWine explained that he’d be announcing subsequent action specifically regarding child gender transition procedures, but not hormone injections and puberty blockers. Testosterone and estrogen infusions as well as puberty blockers arrest a child’s natural sex development and can cause irreparable, irreversible damage.

Last week, DeWine issued an “emergency” executive order barring physicians from performing gender-transition surgeries, such as mastectomies and hysterectomies, on kids in Ohio’s hospitals and health-care facilities.

“A week has gone by, and I still feel just as firmly as I did that day,” DeWine said defending his decision to veto the broader ban. “I believe the parents, not the government, should be making these crucial decisions for their children.”

DeWine’s veto was condemned by GOP presidential candidates and conservative activists, who called it cowardly and urged the Republican-controlled Ohio legislature to reverse the move. Prominent detransitioner Chloe Cole accused DeWine of bending the knee to corporate interests such as the Cleveland Clinic and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

Governor Ron DeSantis decried the veto, touting his record of restricting such medical interventions for children and protecting women’s sports.

Former president Trump wrote on TRUTH Social that DeWine had “fallen to the Radical Left.”

“What was he thinking,” Trump said. “The bill would have stopped child mutilation, and prevented men from playing in women’s sports. Legislature will hopefully overturn. Do it FAST!!”

A fall 2022 survey of 856 Ohio voters conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of Baldwin Wallace University found that a majority of voters oppose sex change medicalization for minors, according to Cleveland.com.

Conservative organizations applauded the Ohio House’s move and encouraged the state senate to follow suit.

”Dewine has turned his back on the values of Ohio families, but we are grateful to have safeguards such as this to protect the future of Ohio’s children,” Logan Church, Political Director of CatholicVote and Ohio resident, told National Review.

“CatholicVote engaged our grassroot supporters throughout the state to urge their representatives to vote the right way, and we will continue that initiative with the Senate,” Church said. “We hope the Senate promptly follows in the House’s footsteps to preserve the principles Ohioans hold dear.”