Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, is drawing ire after vetoing legislation that he says would have caused damage to families.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is being criticized by fellow conservatives after he vetoed legislation on Friday that would have banned gender-affirming care for minors, as well as transgender athletes‘ participation in female sports.
DeWine, a Republican, vetoed House Bill 68 which reached his desk on December 18 after being approved by the State Legislature. The bill, sponsored by Republican Representative Gary Click, is not completely dead as Republicans still hold enough seats to override the veto should they revisit the legislation and vote in lockstep.
„Were I to sign House Bill 68, or were House Bill 68 to become law, Ohio would be saying that the state, the government, knows better [and] what is medically best for a child than the two people who leave that child the most: the parents,“ DeWine said during a press conference on Friday.
He added that while there are rare times when states overrule parents‘ medical decisions, DeWine said he could not think of examples where the decision is not only against the parents but against the judgments of physicians and medical experts.
„It is very important that we all remember that all those on each side of this issue truly and sincerely believe their position best protects children,“ DeWine said in his statement.
