Conservatives slam Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine over transgender bill veto

Conservative politicians and activist groups have condemned Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine‘s (R) decision to veto the Save Adolescents from Experimentation Act, which would have prohibited chemical or surgical transgender treatments for minors.

On Friday, DeWine vetoed HB 68, saying that the decision to pursue gender transition medicine for minors should be between parents and an interdisciplinary team of healthcare providers that includes mental health practitioners.

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DeWine’s fellow Republicans, however, are calling on the state legislature to override the governor’s veto to enact the legislation, which would also prevent biological males from competing in women’s sports.

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance (R) said on X, formerly Twitter, that he was “extremely disappointed” in DeWine’s reliance on the parental rights argument, saying it is “not a justification” for invasive medicine.

“This slogan also ignores the extraordinary pressure from interest groups and big pharma to green light poorly understood, irreversible procedures,” Vance said.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, running for Ohio’s open Senate seat in 2024, asked the state legislature to “do the right thing and override this veto.”

“This is very simple,” said LaRose. “We have a duty to protect safety and fair competition for female athletes and to protect children from being subjected to permanent, life-altering medical procedures before the age of 18.”

DeWine’s veto makes him one of the few Republican governors to veto legislation limiting transgender procedures for minors. In 2021, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) vetoed a similar bill that would have halted gender transition medicine for minors.

Conservative groups and spokespeople have criticized DeWine’s decision, saying the veto was a mistake.

“Gov. DeWine’s capitulation to radical gender ideology is outrageous and unacceptable,” said Kevin Roberts, president of grassroots organization Heritage Action. “We all have a duty to protect children and female athletes from irreversible physical and psychological damage.”

DeWine told reporters that his veto of HB 68 rested solely on the medical aspects of the legislation rather than the issue of transgender athletes.

“Ohioans should not forget Gov. DeWine’s decision to abandon women and girls,” said Roberts. “Heritage Action urges every lawmaker in Ohio to do the right thing and stand with the majority of Americans who believe in protecting women and children.”

Detransitioner activist Chloe Cole said on X that DeWine unwittingly ended his political career with Friday’s veto.

“Ohio deserves a governor that knows what a woman is,” Cole said.

Cole, from California, suffered from gender dysphoria as a child and was put on puberty blockers at 13 years old. She had a double mastectomy at 15 and began her detransition at 16.

“What a way to go out. Paid off by the medical lobby, which is insanely powerful in Ohio,” Cole said.

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Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, a critic of HB 68, published a veiled reference to the veto in a statement on X, saying that “everyone deserves to live life as their most authentic and complete self.”

The organization did not mention HB 68 by name, nor did it reference DeWine.