Ohio Gov. DeWine bans gender-mutilating surgeries for minors days after vetoing bill that would have done the same

Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine signed an "emergency" executive order Friday banning gender-mutilating surgeries for minors, precisely one week after he vetoed a bill that would have done the same.

What's the background?

Last week, DeWine shot down House Bill 68, the Saving Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act, sponsored by Republican state Representative Gary Click, Blaze News previously reported.

Supporters of the legislation contended it would fortify parental rights, protect children from irreversible so-called "gender-affirming care," and protect female athletes by banning males from competing in women's sporting events.

Despite the overwhelming support from Republicans, DeWine was ultimately unsatisfied with the legislation, announcing last Friday that he "cannot sign this bill as it is currently written." However, he noted that he agreed with some aspects of it.

DeWine made the decision after speaking with physicians and families with trans-identifying children.

"I've also listened to youth and parents. Parents who have told me if not for this treatment, their child would be dead," DeWine said. "Ultimately, I believe this is about protecting human life."

DeWine's veto sparked intense backlash from Republicans and activists.

Former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines called the governor "a spineless coward that needs to be removed from office."

Even Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted distanced himself from DeWine's decision, posting on social media that, unlike the governor, he supports HB 68.

Ohio Republican lawmakers planned to override the governor's veto and scheduled a special session for January 10.

DeWine backtracks

On Friday, the governor signed Executive Order 2024-01D, which would enforce rules similar to some of those proposed in HB 68.

"[A]lthough 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," DeWine's executive order stated.

"[T]he Ohio Department of Health has drafted rules that would prohibit gender transition surgeries on anyone under the age of 18 in Ohio's hospitals and health care facilities, including ambulatory surgical facilities," it continued. DeWine called the new regulations "necessary" for protecting children and families.

However, just last week, the governor stated that he refused to sign HB 68 because "Ohio would be saying that the State, that the government, knows what is best medically for a child rather than the two people who love that child the most, the parents."

Click responded to DeWine's executive order, stating he is "cautiously optimistic about the governor's ban on sex reassignment surgeries for minors."

"The irony is not lost on us that Governor DeWine condemns government intervention in the same breath that he issues executive orders," he continued. "While I support his efforts as a temporary measure, I cannot accept them as a substitute for the SAFE Act. His suggestion that we take his measures and place them in a bill for his signature was insulting."

Click added that he is working with the governor "on additional administrative efforts that were not included in the SAFE Act."

He noted that the legislature still "fully intend[s] to override the governor's veto beginning on January 10."

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