The Ohio Congress, with a Republican majority, approved overriding the veto enacted by Governor Mike DeWine (Republican Party) at the end of December 2023 on gender-affirming care for minors and trans participation in women's sports.
Earlier this month, the House of Representatives voted to overrule DeWine's decision. This Wednesday, the majority of state senators ratified the veto, with 24 votes in favor and only 8 against.
At the time, DeWine chose not to sign the law promoted by his party colleagues, motivated by a very specific argument. "Ultimately, these tough, tough decisions should not be made by the government. They should not be made by the state of Ohio. They should be made by the people who love these kids the most, and that’s the parents. The parents who have raised that child, the parents who have seen that child go through agony, the parents who worry about that child every single day of their life," the Ohio governor said.
It was then that both Republican representatives and senators decided to take matters into their own hands and studied the possibility of overriding DeWine's veto. Until, at the beginning of this year, they decided to vote.
The new law - which will come into effect in less than 100 days - has prohibitions on surgeries, therapies and other care for transgender people and on their participation in female sports categories at any educational level. The text is the same as that approved by the state Congress in mid-December 2023.
