Ohio Gov. Vetoes Ban on Trans Treatments for Minors

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Facts

  • Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday vetoed a bill by fellow Republicans that would have banned gender-transition treatments for minors and prohibited transgender students across schools, public colleges, and private universities from participating in single-sex school sports teams.1
  • Arguing that his veto protects the lives of children in the state, DeWine said that parents, not politicians, should be making the decisions for their kids in consultation with doctors.2
  • The bill would have banned minors from receiving puberty blockers, hormone therapies, and gender-transition surgeries. However, people already undergoing such treatments would have been allowed to continue the treatments.3
  • DeWine did, however, direct state agencies to ban transgender surgeries for children under the age of 18 and moderate 'pop-up clinics or fly-by-night operations' that offer transgender treatments.4
  • Meanwhile, the GOP, which has a supermajority in both chambers of the Ohio Legislature, can still overrule DeWine's veto with a three-fifths majority vote.5
  • Over the last three years, 23 states have passed laws restricting trans athletes' ability to participate in school sports that don't align with their biological sex, while at least 22 states have passed restrictions on gender-transition treatments for minors.5

Sources: 1Forbes, 2Independent, 3The Guardian, 4ABC News and 5NBC.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by NBC. For transgender children and their families, gender-affirming care is life-saving care. Children and their families, not the government, should make important decisions about children's healthcare. DeWine recognizes the necessity of transgender healthcare as well as the need to track gender-affirming treatments more closely. This was a well-researched and thoughtful decision that had the well-being of Ohio's children in mind.
  • Right narrative, as provided by Daily Wire. The so-called 'gender-affirming care' allows children to undergo life-changing, irreversible procedures and operations that are against the best medical practice. These procedures ultimately amount to a dereliction of duty, as they are unsafe, untested, and can cause long-term physical and fertility issues. This bill protects vulnerable children, and the veto will hopefully be overridden.

Predictions