Mike DeWine had vetoed a bill banning trans minors from getting gender-affirming care and playing on sports teams
Ohio’s state senate has voted to override the governor Mike DeWine’s veto of a bill that bans transgender minors from receiving gender-affirming care, and their ability to play on sports teams, on Wednesday.
The bill, HB68, prohibits doctors from providing gender-affirming care – such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy or surgeries – to trans youths. It also blocks transgender female student athletes from participating on girls’ sports teams.
Notably, the bill includes a grandfather clause allowing trans people already receiving care to continue doing so.
In a departure from his party, DeWine vetoed the bill in December 2023, stating in a press conference at the time that it was up to parents to make medical decisions for the children – not the government.
“Parents are making decisions about the most precious thing in their life, their child, and none of us should underestimate the gravity and the difficulty of those decisions,” DeWine said at the time. “Many parents have told me that their child would be dead today if they had not received the treatment they received from an Ohio children’s hospital.
