The Ohio House of Representatives on Wednesday voted by an overwhelming margin to override Gov. Mike DeWine's veto of the Save Women's Sports Act and the SAFE (Saving Adolescents From Experimentation) Act that would ban transgender hormone and surgical treatments for minor children and prevent biological males from playing on girls' sports teams.
When he vetoed HB-68, DeWine claimed, without evidence, "Ultimately, I believe this is about protecting human life. Many parents have told me that their child would not have survived, would be dead today. They would have taken their life when they were teenagers."
A week later, the Ohio governor issued an executive order banning transgender surgeries on minor children, but did nothing to prevent dangerous hormonal treatments or to protect girls' sports.
The House voted 65-28 to override the veto. It now heads to the Senate, where Republicans hold a 26-7 majority.
BIG WIN TODAY! Veto override passed on HB 68 #swsohio pic.twitter.com/cabD0KFCuc
— State Representative Jena Powell (@VoteJenaPowell) January 10, 2024
While the House vote to override the veto is indeed a win, we shouldn't be popping the champagne corks just yet. Not only does it have to pass the Senate, which tends to be more liberal than the House, but last year's passage of the Issue 1 ballot measure could make it difficult or impossible to enact the SAFE Act.
I wrote last week:
The good news is that it looks like the legislature is poised to override [DeWine's] veto of sub-HB 68 when it comes back into session on Jan. 10. The bad news is that even if they do vote to override the bill, it will likely face court challenges based on the loose language in Issue 1, which Ohioans approved at the ballot box last year. It was mostly focused on abortion rights, but the wording is so vague that it can be applied to other areas as well. It states, in part, that "Every individual has a right to make and carry out one's own reproductive decisions, including, but not limited to decisions on" contraception, fertility treatment, continuing one's own pregnancy, miscarriage care, and abortion. [Emphasis added]
All trans activists need to do is cite that all-encompassing "but not limited to" language to demand any and all "treatments" for transgenderism, including mutilation of minors.
Nevertheless, I'm thankful for the men and women who stood up for children today despite harsh criticism, threats, and shaming coming from the left-wing media and activists.
Related: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Has Lost His Mind on Transing Children
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