Ohio Governor Mike DeWine Blocks Republican Bill on Transgender Rights, Faces Veto Override Threat

Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, has used his veto to block a Republican bill on transgender rights. DeWine (76) announced this during a press conference on Friday. Under the new law, hormone treatments for children who want to change gender would be banned. Transgender athletes would also no longer be allowed to participate in women’s sports.

“Ultimately, such difficult decisions should not be made by the government,” said DeWine, 76, who is in his final term as governor. “They should be made by the people who love these children most, and those are their parents. They have raised the child, seen it go through suffering and they worry about that child every day.” DeWine said he has spoken to many parents who told him that their child “would not be here anymore if it had not been treated. Adults also told me that without this care they would have ended their lives as teenagers.”

Next steps

It is not yet clear whether DeWine’s blockade will last: his party members can vote over his veto in the Ohio parliament. Conservative groups are calling for this. For example, Terry Schilling, the president of the conservative group American Principles Project, said DeWine had surrendered to the “transgender industry that preys on so many vulnerable individuals.” The Republican leadership in Ohio is considering next steps, but so far does not appear to be breaking with DeWine over his veto.

DeWine did placate his fellow party members on Friday by also announcing plans to ban gender reassignment for minors. He also wants the state to better monitor the aftermath of such operations.

In Ohio, a state that is usually predominantly conservative, Democrats won an important referendum on abortion rights in early November. The Republicans had drafted and passed a law that would ban abortion from six weeks. 56 percent of Ohio voters voted against that law in the referendum.

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2023-12-30 06:47:39
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