Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, has vetoed a bill banning sex changes for minors.
DeWine told reporters on Friday that the ban would do "more harm than good."
The legislation, House Bill 68, would have also banned biological male students from playing on sports teams meant for girls.
“These are truly complex issues, and reasonable people draw vastly different conclusions,” DeWine said during a press conference on Friday, according to a report from The Hill. “This bill would impact a very small number of Ohio’s children, but for those children who face gender dysphoria, and for their families, the consequences of this could not be more profound.”
DeWine claimed that parents of "transgender" children told him that their kids would have committed suicide without sex change procedures.
“Ultimately, I believe this is about protecting human life,” DeWine said. “Many parents have told me that their child would not have survived — would be dead today — if they had not received the treatment they received from one of Ohio’s children’s hospitals.”
“I’ve also been told by those who are now grown adults that, but for this care, they would have taken their lives when they were teenagers,” DeWine continued.
“I cannot sign this bill as is currently written,” DeWine asserted, adding, “and just a few minutes ago, I vetoed the bill.”
Republican lawmakers had passed the bill with overwhelming support. They also hold supermajorities in both chambers and will have the opportunity to override the governor's veto.
