Mike DeWine vetoes House Bill 68 on transgender medical care

Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday struck down legislation that would have restricted the medical care of transgender minors and banned transgender girls from female sports.

House Bill 68, which cleared the House and Senate earlier this month, would have prevented doctors from prescribing hormones, puberty blockers or gender reassignment surgery before patients turn 18. It also would have prohibited transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams in high school and college.

What Mike DeWine Said?

“Were I to sign House Bill 68, or were House Bill 68 to become law, Ohio would be saying that the state, that the government knows better what is medically best for a child than the two people who love that child the most: their parents,” Mike DeWine said.

Mike DeWine’s decision came after he visited children’s hospitals, spoke with families and reviewed testimony for and against the legislation. He said his administration will draft rules to ban surgery for patients under 18, collect data on transgender medical care for adults and children, and restrict pop-up clinics that don’t provide adequate mental health counseling.

The bill passed the House and Senate with a supermajority, meaning lawmakers could mobilize enough support to override DeWine’s veto. Ahead of Friday’s news conference, DeWine’s fellow Republicans – including Lt. Gov. Jon Husted – voiced support for the legislation and urged him to sign it.

Husted is expected to run for governor in 2026.