What changed? Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a bill banning child sexual mutilation last week.
But today, DeWine issued a new executive order that bans child sexual mutilation:
WHEREAS, 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; andWHEREAS, the 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;
From The Columbus Dispatch:
Still, the governor said his order will “take this issue off the table.”“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,” he said during a news conference.DeWine also announced Friday that his administration proposed rules to collect data on treatment for transgender Ohioans and prevent “fly-by-night” clinics that don’t provide adequate mental health counseling. To achieve that, the rule would require a comprehensive care plan for transgender adults and children that ensures they see an endocrinologist, psychiatrist and bioethicist.
But what happened to make him change his mind? At that press conference, DeWine said:
Were I to sign Substitute House Bill 68 or were Substitute House Bill 68 to become law, 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. While there are rare times in the law, in other circumstances, where the State overrules the medical decisions made by the parents, I can think of no example where this is done not only against the decision of the parents, but also against the medical judgement of the treating physician and the treating team of medical experts.
The House has the votes to override DeWine’s veto. House Bill 68 will likely go into effect anyway.
DeWine’s office has not responded to any requests for comments. I would love to know why he changed his mind.
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