Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) vetoed a controversial bill that would have blocked gender transition treatments for minors with gender dysphoria and required transgender athletes in schools to play on the team of their biological sex.
“These tough, tough decisions should not be made by the government. They should not be made by the state of Ohio,” DeWine said. “They should be made by the people who love these kids the most, and that’s the parents.”
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The Save Adolescents from Experimentation, or SAFE, Act was passed with a 70% majority in the state House and a 75% majority in the state Senate. This signals that conservatives in the legislature may be able to override the governor’s veto.
DeWine said “action is necessary” on a variety of matters in the bill, but he cannot sign it as written.
The bill declared that the “state has a compelling government interest” in the health and safety of all citizens, especially children.
Although the bill prohibits the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries to treat gender dysphoria in minors, the law would have required mental healthcare providers to evaluate patients for comorbidities, including past trauma and abuse, depression, and autism spectrum disorder.
DeWine said he took several days to listen to medical experts and patients on both sides of the matter, including youth and parents of children who have transitioned and those who have de-transitioned after going through treatment.
He said that those with whom he spoke who had positive experiences with gender transition “received significant counseling, therapy, and consultation as a family before discussing even the possibility of other treatments,” but those who had negative experiences received insufficient mental health evaluations.
“The idea that someone can walk in … without psychological counseling, without mental health counseling, and start down the road with taking these drugs, I think virtually everybody I’ve talked to says that is not the way to do it.”
DeWine plans to issue administrative rules “that will likely have a better chance of surviving judicial review and being adopted” to require extensive mental health treatment for minors and adults seeking gender transition medicine before chemical or surgical intervention.
Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project, condemned DeWine’s decision, saying he “gave into cowardice and caved into the transgender industry.”
“Now, more than ever, we need leaders who will stand up to these egregious lies and act to protect our children and families,” Schilling said. “Unfortunately, Gov. DeWine has shown he is no such leader.”
“Parents are making decisions about the most precious thing in their life: their child,” DeWine said. “These are gut-wrenching decisions that should be made by parents and should be informed by teams of doctors who are advising them.”
DeWine said that approximately two-thirds of minor patients with gender dysphoria never move on to medical interventions to transition if proper psychological and family counseling is provided.
“It’s important that this be done right, it’s important that it be done deliberately, and it’s important to be done carefully,” DeWine said, adding that interdisciplinary healthcare teams should advise parents on the best decisions for their families.
DeWine said transgender surgeries — such as mastectomies, phalloplasties, and vaginoplasties — are not top priorities for patients or medical care providers. He said that Ohio hospitals and healthcare providers told him they do not perform or advocate transgender surgeries.
DeWine told reporters that he did not address the topic of transgender athletes, noting that the medical implications of the bill were much farther-reaching.
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“I believe ultimately my decision here was only made about protecting life,” DeWine said.
The governor said he hopes the legislature will not override his veto and instead be willing to work with his administration on agency rules to achieve mutual goals.
