The Ohio House of Representatives voted Wednesday to override Republican Gov. Mike DeWine's veto of a bill that would ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors and prevent transgender sexual disorders.s Transgender women and girls will no longer be able to compete on girls' school sports teams.
The House voted 65-28 along party lines to override DeWine's veto of House Bill 68.
“I think most people here have good intentions. I believe our governor has good intentions. But good intentions don't save lives or protect women; good intentions don't save lives or protect women. That’s what policy does,” said Ohio Republican Rep. Gary Click, the bill’s lead sponsor.
House Democrats on Wednesday denounced the agency's vote, accusing Republicans of ignoring medical evidence supporting gender-affirming care and testimony from those who spoke out against the bill.
“Why? Because your Google search puts your knowledge on par with my 30-plus years in medicine?” said state Rep. Anita Somani, a Democrat and an obstetrician-gynecologist from central Ohio. He said this. Before Somani was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2022, she testified in 2019, 2020, and 2021 against an iteration of House Bill 68, known as the Saving Youth from Experimentation (SAFE) Act. went.
“What we're doing is setting people back. We're restricting people's rights. We're taking away health care,” Somani said Wednesday. “As I listen to my colleagues here, I am angry, frustrated, and disappointed.”
LGBTQ advocates, medical professionals, and families of transgender children are primarily opposed to the passage of House Bill 68. According to local media, more than 600 people testified against the bill at public hearings last year.
DeWine vetoed the bill on Dec. 29, telling reporters at a press conference that such a bill, if passed, would do more harm than good.
“Ultimately, I believe this is about saving lives,” DeWine said. “Many parents have told me that their children would not have survived and would be dead today if they had not received the care they received at Children's Hospital of Ohio.”
DeWine has declined on several occasions to say whether he supports House Bill 68's restrictions on transgender student-athletes. in 2021 statementDeWine said he believes the issue is “best dealt with outside of government.”
Although gender-affirming health care for transgender minors and adults is considered safe, effective, and medically necessary by all major medical organizations, not all transgender Not all people choose to transition to or have access to care.
According to guidelines set by the World Association of Transgender Health Professionals and the Endocrine Society, medications such as puberty blockers and hormones are not recommended for children who have not yet begun puberty, and most surgeries are performed before the age of 18. It is aimed at adults over the age range.
DeWine is the second Republican governor to veto a ban on gender-affirming care. The first was former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (Republican), who is campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination.
Hutchinson's 2021 veto was also quickly overturned by the Republican-controlled state Legislature. In June, a federal judge struck down the law as unconstitutional.
Two other Republican governors, Utah's Spencer Cox and Indiana's Eric Holcomb, have also vetoed bans on transgender athletes.
The Ohio Senate, which also has a supermajority with Republicans, is scheduled to vote on whether to override DeWine's veto when the Senate reconvenes on January 24.
If the override attempt is successful, Ohio would become the 23rd state to significantly limit or ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, and the first state to do so this year. The bill would join 23 other Republican-led states in banning transgender athletes from participating in school sports teams based on their gender identity.
Outside of Congress, access to gender-affirming health care for transgender minors and adults in Ohio would be restricted under an administrative rule filed this month by the state Department of Health.
Ann presidential order The bill signed by DeWine on January 5 bans gender reassignment surgery on minors.
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