Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine cited parental rights in defending his veto of legislation banning gender-transition treatment for minors and biological males in female sports, but his critics on the right were having none of it.
Calls for a veto override sounded Friday shortly after the governor rejected House Bill 68, a two-pronged measure on hot-button transgender-rights issues that passed overwhelmingly in the state legislature, where Republicans hold a super-majority.
Multiple Republican legislators signaled their support for a prompt override vote.
“House Republicans have the necessary votes to override in the House,” said GOP state Rep. Derek Merrin on X. “We should do it at our first session in January. We must protect minors from permanent, life-altering surgeries & defend women’s sports.”
Republican state Sen. Niraj Antani called for the legislature to “immediately return tonight to vote to override the governor’s veto.”
“This is a massive mistake,” said Republican state Sen. Michael Rulli on social media. “We absolutely must override this veto immediately.”
House Speaker Jason Stephens made no promises but expressed frustration with the veto and said the Republican caucus would take up the issue.
“The bill sponsors, and the House, have dedicated nearly three years to get the bill right—to empower parents and protect children,” Mr. Stephens said in a statement. “It was passed by veto-proof majorities in each chamber. We will certainly discuss as a caucus and take the appropriate next steps.”
This is a massive mistake. We absolutely must override this veto immediately. https://t.co/Qj5MjvkNag
— Senator Michael Rulli (@michaelrulli) December 29, 2023
Mr. DeWine broke with red-state governors in vetoing the measure, saying that he did so after speaking with medical professionals and parents as well as adults and children who have undergone gender-transition procedures, including those who detransitioned after treatment.
“Were I to sign House Bill 68, or were House Bill 68 to become law, Ohio would be saying that the state, that the government, knows better what is medically best for a child than the two people who love that child the most, the parents,” said Mr. DeWine at a Friday morning press conference.
He also said that he would direct state agencies to enact administrative safeguards on gender-transition procedures, including banning surgeries outright for minors; collecting data on children and adults undergoing treatment, and placing restrictions on unaccountable “pop-up clinics.”
“Parents have looked me in the eye and have told me that but for this treatment, their child would be dead,” Mr. DeWine said. “They have told me their child is only alive because of the gender-affirming care that they have received. And youth who have transitioned to a new gender have told me they are thriving today because of that transition.”
He said he didn’t consider the section of the bill prohibiting male-born athletes who identify as female from participating in K-12 and collegiate sports based on gender identity.
“I focused on the part of the bill that I thought affected the most people, the most children by far, and did not even get to the other question,” Mr. DeWine told reporters.
Republican state Rep. Gary Click, the sponsor of the Save Adolescents from Experimentation Act, said he was heartened by the governor’s interest in finding solutions on the medical side, but concerned that female athletes “have been put on hold for far too long.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio said that “Lives will be saved because of this critically important veto,” while conservatives accused Mr. DeWine of putting female athletes and adolescents in harm’s way by bowing to the transgender-rights movement.
“History will forever remember that when courage was called for, DeWine instead gave into cowardice and caved to the transgender industry that is preying on so many vulnerable individuals,” said Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project.
Those demanding a veto override included 12-time All-American swimmer Riley Gaines, an advocate for single-sex female sports, who called Mr. DeWine “a spineless coward that needs to be removed from office.”
“Governor Mike DeWine has vetoed HB 68, a bill that would protect women’s sports and prevent child mutilation,” she said on X. “Fortunately, Ohio has the votes to override the veto.”
Reelected in 2022, Mr. DeWine is term-limited and scheduled to leave office in January 2027.
Twenty-one states have banned gender-transition drugs and surgeries for minors — Arizona prohibits surgeries only — while 23 states have barred biological males from female sports over concerns about competitive fairness and safety.
HeritageAction President Kevin Roberts called the governor’s “capitulation to radical gender ideology outrageous and unacceptable.”
“We all have a duty to protect children and female athletes from irreversible physical and psychological damage,” he said. “HB 68 is commonsense legislation with broad, bipartisan support—state lawmakers should override the governor’s veto immediately.”
The veto drew the notice of Vivek Ramaswamy, a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
“There are two genders,” said Mr. Ramaswamy. “Boys shouldn’t compete with girls in girls’ sports. Kids shouldn’t be subjected to genital mutilation & chemical castration when they suffer mental health lapses.”
He concluded: “Shame on Ohio Governor Mike DeWine for this failure.”
The veto saw Mr. DeWine go from hero to zero on the political right after campaigning against Issue 1, the abortion-rights constitutional amendment approved by the voters in November.
The governor made a plea for advocates on both sides to respect each other’s views.
“I think it’s very important that we all remember that all those on each side of this issue sincerely and truly believe their physician best protects children,” Mr. DeWine said. “These are truly complex issues and reasonable people — reasonable people — can draw vastly different conclusions.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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