Ohio has banned “gender-affirming care” for minors and restricted transgender women and girls from participating in sports teams. The state’s Republican-dominated Senate voted to override Republican Governor Mike DeWine’s veto of the bill.
Ohio has banned gender-affirming care for people under the age of 18. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
The new law bans sex reassignment surgeries and hormone therapies and restricts mental health care for transgender individuals under 18. The measure also bans transgender girls and women from girls and women’s sports teams at both the K-12 and collegiate level, according to the Associated Press.
The law is expected to take effect in roughly 90 days.
The Associated Press contributed to this story. This is a developing story – check back for more details.
The Ohio House of Representatives voted Wednesday to override Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto of a bill that protects children from irreversible transgender sex change procedures and medical interventions, such as puberty blockers and hormones. Pictured: DeWine speaks to reporters in Columbus, Ohio, on June 24. (Photo: Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images)
The Ohio House of Representatives voted Wednesday to override Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto of a bill that would protect children from irreversible transgender sex-change procedures and medical interventions, such as puberty blockers and hormones.
The state’s House of Representatives met Wednesday afternoon to vote 65-28 to override the governor’s veto.It now heads to the senate.
Activists and organizations that backed the bill were quick to celebrate the news on Wednesday.
“Ohio and the entire nation have spoken,” said Center for Christian Virtue Policy Director David Mahan in a statement. “It’s not okay to chemically sterilize and mutilate children, and no clinic can transform little girls into little boys with pills and scalpels. Additionally, HB68 will protect women’s and girls’ privacy rights and guarantee them a fair playing field and the opportunity to win athletic scholarships.”
“I want to thank Representatives Click and Powell for courageously championing this legislation, and Speaker Stephens for acting swiftly to protect our kids from the dangerous consequences of Governor DeWine’s veto of HB68,” he added. “I now urge the Senate to do the same.”
🚨 The Ohio House voted (65-28) to override Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto of HB 68!
But organizations opposing the legislation, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, condemned the override.
“This state-sponsored vendetta against some of Ohio’s most vulnerable young people is beyond cruel,”said the ACLU of Ohio in an “X” post. “We stand in solidarity with all trans youth.”
“This bill bans gender-affirming care for trans youth & restricts participation in sports matching their identity,” added the Human Rights Campaign in another “X” post. “Even after Ohioans told politicians to leave medical decisions alone, they put themselves in control.”
NEW: The Ohio House has overridden Gov. DeWine’s veto of HB68. This bill bans gender-affirming care for trans youth & restricts participation in sports matching their identity.
Even after Ohioans told politicians to leave medical decisions alone, they put themselves in control. pic.twitter.com/CoopOSpIFC
On Friday, DeWine issued an “emergency” executive order to ban sex-reassignment surgeries for minors (but not hormones and puberty blockers) just one week after he vetoed House Bill 68, the Enact Ohio Saving Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act.
The SAFE Act would ban cross-sex hormones and so-called puberty blockers for children, measures DeWine’s executive order apparently omits. The bill would also have addressed fairness in women’s sports, an issue DeWine’s executive order also does not address.
“Although I vetoed … House Bill 68, I stated clearly in my veto message that I agreed with the General Assembly that no gender-transition surgeries should be performed on anyone under the age of 18, and I directed agencies under my purview to draft rules to ban this practice in Ohio,” DeWine said in his Jan. 5 executive order.
He also declared that “an emergency exists requiring the immediate adoption of rules 3701-59-06 and 3701-83-60 of the Ohio Administrative Code.”
According to the executive order, the regulations “would prohibit gender-transition surgeries on anyone under the age of 18 in Ohio’s hospitals and health care facilities, including ambulatory surgical facilities.”
National organizations like Catholic Vote and the Alliance Defending Freedom commended Ohio legislators for standing up for the state’s parents.
“DeWine has turned his back on the values of Ohio families, but we are grateful to have safeguards such as this to protect the future of Ohio’s children,” Logan Church, the political director of CatholicVote, said in a statement. “CatholicVote engaged our grassroot supporters throughout the state to urge their representatives to vote the right way, and we will continue that initiative with the Senate. We hope the Senate promptly follows in the House’s footsteps to preserve the principles Ohioans hold dear.”
Matt Sharp, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, emphasized: “Now and always, young people deserve the loving embrace of family members who guide them toward this truth rather than be subjected to risky, often irreversible, and life-altering experimentation and drugs. These approaches are dangerous, as they block healthy puberty, alter hormonal balance, and remove healthy organs and body parts.”
“No one has the right to harm children, and, thankfully, states have the power—and duty—to protect them,” he added. “Now, we urge the Ohio Senate to act and join over 20 other states and several European countries in fighting for truth and curtailing the deployment of harmful surgeries and drugs that are devastating countless lives.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged his colleagues to vote to override President Donald Trump’s veto of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Tuesday.
Trump vetoed the NDAA last week, and the House of Representatives has already voted to override the veto with a two-thirds majority, making the Senate the final hurdle for approving the funding. The NDAA passed the Senate originally with a 84-13 majority on December 11, but the grounds have shifted somewhat.
Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has vowed to filibuster any attempt at an override on the NDAA bill until McConnell allows a vote on the $2,000 COVID-19 direct relief payments. Trump called for the increase from $600 to $2,000 last week, a proposition Democrats have endorsed but many Republicans have not. (RELATED: The Numbers In Georgia Point To Two Tossup Races)
“McConnell and the Senate want to expedite the override vote and I understand that,”Sanders told reporters Monday evening. “But I’m not going to allow that to happen unless there is a vote, no matter how long that takes, on the $2,000 direct payment.”
The House voted in favor of the increase to $2,000 on Monday, leaving McConnell and the Senate as the final obstacle. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer attempted to pass the $2,000 increase by unanimous consent during Tuesday session, but McConnell blocked the move.
Trump originally objected to the NDAA because Congress refused to include provisions in the bill that would dismantle Section 230, the law that governs how internet companies moderate third-party content. Trump also objected to provisions in the bill seeking to rename military bases currently named after Confederate figures.
American Family Association
American Family Association (AFA), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1977 by Donald E. Wildmon, who was the pastor of First United Methodist Church in Southaven, Mississippi, at the time. Since 1977, AFA has been on the frontlines of Ame
NEWSMAX
News, Opinion, Interviews, Research and discussion
Opinion
American Family Association
American Family Association (AFA), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1977 by Donald E. Wildmon, who was the pastor of First United Methodist Church in Southaven, Mississippi, at the time. Since 1977, AFA has been on the frontlines of Ame
American Family Association
American Family Association (AFA), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1977 by Donald E. Wildmon, who was the pastor of First United Methodist Church in Southaven, Mississippi, at the time. Since 1977, AFA has been on the frontlines of Ame
You Version
Bible Translations, Devotional Tools and Plans, BLOG, free mobile application; notes and more
Political
American Family Association
American Family Association (AFA), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1977 by Donald E. Wildmon, who was the pastor of First United Methodist Church in Southaven, Mississippi, at the time. Since 1977, AFA has been on the frontlines of Ame
NEWSMAX
News, Opinion, Interviews, Research and discussion
Spiritual
American Family Association
American Family Association (AFA), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1977 by Donald E. Wildmon, who was the pastor of First United Methodist Church in Southaven, Mississippi, at the time. Since 1977, AFA has been on the frontlines of Ame
Bible Gateway
The Bible Gateway is a tool for reading and researching scripture online — all in the language or translation of your choice! It provides advanced searching capabilities, which allow readers to find and compare particular passages in scripture based on
By Stepheny Price Fox News | Published January 24, 2024 3:43pm EST | Updated January 24, 2024 4:03pm EST
What Did You Say? 
You must be logged in to post a comment.