Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (YouTube screenshot)
During a press conference Jan. 5, Gov. Mike DeWine announced that he had signed a far-reaching executive order that banned gender transition surgeries for anyone under the age of 18 in the state.
“Although I vetoed Substitute 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,” the governor told reporters.
DeWine also told reporters that he had spoken with families ahead of his veto, and said none of them advocated for transition surgery for their children.
“There’s a broad, broad consensus against surgeries for minors, so let’s put that into a law so we can move on and talk about other things,” the governor said.
The governor also announced that he was requiring state health officials to implement rules that included transgender Ohioan adults. The rule would include require a comprehensive care plan for trans adults and children that ensures they see an endocrinologist, psychiatrist and bioethicist.
That portion of the governor’s remarks prompted a fast rebuke from LGBTQ advocacy groups and trans activists.
Shannon Minter, the legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, told the Washington Blade in an emailed statement: “Governor DeWine should be applauded for attempting to prevent a legislative override of his veto of a complete ban on medical care for transgender youth. That said, he has made a grave mistake by proposing restrictions on adult care. Adults must be free to make decisions about their own lives. There is no place for governments to tell adult transgender people how to live or what healthcare they undergo. What DeWine has proposed is dangerous government overreach and it must be stopped at all costs.”
Journalist Erin Reed noted that “these restrictions would all but eliminate trans care, slowing it to a trickle.”
“There are only two states in the United States that have imposed similar restrictions on adults to what DeWine is calling — Florida and Missouri. Missouri was a disaster for the two weeks it was in effect, but it got overturned in court. Florida has seen massive trans adult healthcare losses,” Reed said, adding: “Even if the restrictions are as simple as closing down Nurse Practitioners from providing care, like Florida did, that was disastrous as it led to a massive glut in care and kicked most trans adults off. MOST adult care is done via NPs. Especially in underserved areas.”
The governor told reporters that he’s not aware of any complaints filed with the Ohio Medical Board over pop-up clinics. But he said he’s concerned that there are facilities prescribing hormones without counseling, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
“As I spent time looking at this and listening to people, it’s clear that the most important part is the mental health counseling,” DeWine said. “It needs to be lengthy, and it needs to be comprehensive.”
Maria Bruno, public policy director for Equality Ohio, told the Columbus Dispatch in an emailed statement that DeWine’s executive order is unnecessary because Ohio clinics already do not perform gender transition surgery on minors. The organization is waiting to review the other measures before staking out a position.
“Equality Ohio will defend unequivocally the right of adults to seek the medical care of their choosing,” Bruno said in a statement. “Issue 1’s decisive victory in November was proof that Ohioans do not want politicians in their doctor’s office, period.”
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