Former President Donald Trump said he is “finished” associating with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine after the GOP official vetoed a state bill seeking to ban transgender surgeries on minors.
Courts would be prohibited from restricting parental rights to raise children per their biological sex. The bill also prevented educational institutions from allowing males to take part in female sports in high schools and colleges.
Mr. DeWine announced vetoing the bill during a Dec. 29 press conference, stating that the decision was taken after consulting with families and children’s hospitals.
“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—the parents,” he said.
The last time the duo shared a stage together was before Election Day in 2022, when President Trump came to Ohio to extend support for Sen. J.D. Vance’s (R-Ohio) Senate run.
Reactions to Veto
Mr. DeWine’s veto attracted acclaim from pro-LGBT groups and individuals. Equality Ohio, which advocates for the LGBT community, called the veto a “victory.”“#OhioIsHome, and we won’t tolerate bills that take away our freedoms. We’re relieved to see #HB68 vetoed, and we couldn’t have done it without your support,” the group said in a Dec. 29 X post.
The veto is receiving widespread criticism from conservatives. Terry Schilling, president of the pro-family organization American Principles Project (APP), said the veto proves that Mr. DeWine is “not a capable leader for our times.”
“Now, more than ever, we need leaders who will stand up to these egregious lies and act to protect our children and families. Unfortunately, Governor DeWine has shown he is no such leader,” he said in a Dec. 29 statement.
“Despite the fact that most Republicans and even some Democrats are now seeing this predatory industry for what it is, DeWine still refused to do the right thing.”
In order to override the governor’s veto, the Ohio constitution requires a three-fifths majority in both the Senate and the House.
The Ohio House has 99 seats, while the state Senate has 33 seats. Republicans have a supermajority in both chambers, holding 67 House seats and 26 Senate seats.
According to Parker Thayer, an investigative researcher for American think tank Capital Research, “the main entity opposing House Bill 68 seems to have been the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association (OCHA)” from whom Governor DeWine has received donations.
“Then there’s ‘Friends of Ohio Hospitals, ’ which has sent DeWine over $40,000. Friends of Ohio Hospitals is funded by the senior employees, lobbyists, and Super PACs of many major hospitals in Ohio and around the nation.”