Ohio governor vetoes transgender sports, gender-affirming care ban

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has vetoed Ohio House Bill 68, which would have restricted gender-affirming care for minors and transgender girls' participation in sports.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has vetoed Ohio House Bill 68, which is comprised of two acts: the "Save Adolescents from Experimentation Act," which would ban transgender minors from receiving gender-affirming medical care, and the "Save Women's Sports Act," which would prevent transgender girls from taking part in girls' and women's sports.

"I truly believe that we can address a number of goals in House Bill 68 by administrative rules that will have likely a better chance of surviving judicial review and being adopted," DeWine said at a Friday press conference.

He announced that he agreed with several concerns from the legislature and will draft rules for gender-affirming care moving forward -- including bans on surgeries for minors, reporting and data collection on those who receive care, as well as restrictions on "pop-up clinics" that serve the transgender community.

At least 20 states have implemented restrictions on access to gender-affirming care, many of which have faced legal challenges. A law in Arkansas was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge and several laws have been blocked while the cases are tried.

Ohio's bill could still go into effect if 60% of the state legislature votes to override the governor’s veto.