Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed an executive order on Friday banning gender reassignment surgery from being performed on minors.
“This ban is effective immediately,” the Ohio governor told reporters after signing the order.
A week ago, DeWine vetoed comprehensive legislation that would have banned doctors from prescribing hormones and puberty blockers for minors, as well as performing gender reassignment surgery.
The legislation, House Bill 68, would also prevent transgender women from playing on high school and college sports teams consistent with their gender identity.
The governor argued that his veto “does not reflect one way or the other” on other issues that House Bill 68 seeks to address and that Ohio needs “to stay focused on what’s important.”
“There is a broad, broad consensus against surgery for minors, so let’s put it into law so we can move on and talk about other things,” DeWine said.
Ohio joins more than 20 other states that have enacted a ban on gender reassignment surgery for minors starting in 2021.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s order prohibits gender reassignment surgery from being performed on those under the age of 18 in Ohio. AP
DeWine acknowledged that gender reassignment surgery on minors is rare in the Buckeye State, but said his executive order ensures the controversial medical procedure will be stopped.
“If we look at the available evidence, very little happened, but let’s make sure, and that’s what was done,” he said.
DeWine also announced new rules aimed at collecting data on transgender medical care in Ohio and preventing “fly-by-night” operations that do not provide patients with mental health counseling.
“I am concerned that there may be fly-by-night service providers, clinics, that may dispense drugs to adults without counseling and without basic standards to ensure quality care,” he said.
“Obviously the most important part is mental health counseling, DeWine added. “It needs to be long, and it needs to be thorough.”
Ohio joins more than 20 other states that have banned the controversial procedure from being performed on minors. AP
The rules will be open for a public comment period before adoption.
Ohio’s Republican-controlled General Assembly can override DeWine’s veto of House Bill 68 with a three-fifths majority vote.
Lawmakers plan to return early from their winter break to vote on the repeal, according to the Ohio Capital Journal, but it’s unclear whether their body has the votes to do so.
“I have work. They have jobs. They do their job. I’m doing my job,” DeWine said of the possible override vote.
“My job is to study this issue and decide whether to sign it. As I said a week ago, for me to sign the bill, for this to become law in the state of Ohio, I would say that the government knows best, knows better than parents, about the health of their own children.”
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
