Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) is taking his time to address the mounting pressure to either sign or veto the controversial transgender medicine and sports bill awaiting his attention.
“I think I have a real obligation to try to get this right,” DeWine told local Ohio outlet WHIO TV 7. “It is very, very, very important.”
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The state Senate passed House Bill 68 on Dec. 13, and the final draft went to the governor’s office the following week.
The Saving Ohio Adolescents from Experimentation, or SAFE Act, requires transgender athletes to compete in the sport of their biological sex and prevents healthcare providers from utilizing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or invasive surgeries to treat gender dysphoria in minors.
“This state has a compelling government interest in protecting the health and safety of its citizens, especially vulnerable children,” the bill declares.
Although the bill prevents certain medical interventions to treat gender-identity conditions, it also would require mental health professionals to evaluate minor patients with gender-related concerns for comorbidities of gender dysphoria, “including depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and other mental health conditions.”
Mental health providers are also required to evaluate their gender-questioning patients for “physical, sexual, mental, and emotional abuse and other traumas” as part of their care.
“Scientific studies show that individuals struggling with distress at identifying with their biological sex often have already experienced psychopathology, which indicates these individuals should be encouraged to seek mental health care services before undertaking any hormonal or surgical intervention,” according to the bill.
The conservative governor has until Friday to either sign or veto the bill before it becomes law by default.
Even if DeWine vetoes the legislation, the bill passed with a 70% majority in the House and a 75% majority in the Senate, signaling that conservative legislators may override the veto.
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In November, the governor staunchly opposed the abortion and reproductive rights amendment, saying that it was too extreme for most Ohioans. Anti-abortion advocates expressed concerns at the time that the amendment would prevent parental involvement in gender transition medicine for minors.
DeWine told reporters over the weekend that he has spent time talking with experts on both sides of the heated divide because of the severity of the bill’s implications.
