The Republican-led Ohio Senate is poised to override Republican Gov. Mike DeWine's veto of a bill banning puberty blockers and hormone treatments for minors with gender dysphoria, the Washington Examiner reported Tuesday.
The action follows the Ohio House's earlier veto override and comes after the governor's veto, which he justified as avoiding government overreach into private decisions. DeWine said, "It's too much of a government overreach into a private decision between families and their physicians."
The bill, HB 68, also requires transgender athletes to play on teams matching their biological sex. If the Senate overrides the veto, the law would limit medical treatment for gender dysphoria in minors to psychological counseling only.
Critics like the ACLU oppose both the bill and an executive order from DeWine banning gender transition surgeries for minors, which was issued one week after his veto of the bill. The ACLU asserts, "Important medical decisions should remain between youths, their families, and medical providers — not our politicians."
The Ohio Senate needs a three-fifths majority to override the governor's veto, with 26 Republicans in office potentially influencing the outcome.