(The Center Square) – The Ohio House, dominated by Republicans, easily voted Wednesday afternoon to override Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto of a bill that bans transgender medical care on minors and requires single-sex athletic teams.
House Democrats moved to adjourn before the override debate, but that was quickly and easily voted down. After a long debate, DeWine’s veto was overridden 65-28.
Republicans, who hold 67 seats in the House, needed only 59 votes to override. The Senate, with a 26-Republican supermajority, needs 20 votes to override.
If the Senate also votes to override, House Bill 68 would become law 90 days following that vote. The Senate’s next scheduled session is Jan. 24.
“Good intentions don’t save lives and protect women. Good policy does,” bill sponsor Rep. Gary Click, R-Vickery, said on the floor. “We have a choice to follow emotion or follow the evidence. We cannot continue to fall into the trap of allowing children to self-diagnose. Why in the world do we live in a world that says to kids that you need a scalpel and drugs to be your true self.”
House Bill 68 blocks gender affirming care for minors, including surgeries, puberty blockers and hormone therapy. It also bans males from participating on females’ sports teams.
“It’s imaginable that it’s taken this long to get to this point,” said Rep. Jena Powell, R-Arcanum, who said she has been working on that part of the bill for five years. “The Save Women’s Sports Act is needed in Ohio, and we need it now. The Save Women’s Sports Act is a fairness issue.”
Democrats said doctors and parents, rather than lawmakers, should make health care decisions for children.
“Listening to my colleagues here speak is I’m angry, I’m frustrated, and I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed my colleagues do not listen to science,” Rep. Anita Somani, D-Dublin, a physician, said. “HB68 is harmful to the next generation and does nothing to protect our youth.”
DeWine issued an executive order last week that banned transgender surgeries on minors in Ohio and developed transgender health care rules for children and adults for public comment for the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction.
The rules include protections for adults and children receiving transgender care in the state hospitals that would stop what DeWine called “fly-by-night” providers or clinics giving out medications without quality care.
They would also require multi-disciplinary teams at hospitals to provide support care, including psychiatrists and a comprehensive plan of the risks associated with the treatment and required mental health counseling.
