The Ohio Senate voted to override Governor Mike DeWine’s veto of House Bill 68 on Wednesday, sparking an array of applause from activists and GOP lawmakers.
House Bill 68, which will become law in 90 days, combines two bills: the Saving Ohio Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act and the Save Women’s Sports Act.
The SAFE Act will prevent doctors from providing minors with gender-affirming care, while the Save Women’s Sports Act will prevent biological males who identify as transgender from participating in girls’ and women’s sports.
Former NCAA swimmer and conservative activist Riley Gaines, who testified in support of both the SAFE Act and the Save Women’s Sports Act, applauded the Senate’s veto override vote, writing on X, “Ohio’s most vulnerable are protected.”
Activist and de-transitioner Chloe Cole also reacted to the Senate’s vote, writing on X, “Today, Ohio overrode the governor’s Veto and has successfully secured the rights of children and protected women’s sports. The energy in the chamber is incredible. Child gender mutilation and gender ideology as a whole will end with a whimper.”
Ohio U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno added, “Thank you to the Ohio Legislature for protecting children and Women’s sports.”
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who is also running in the GOP U.S. Senate primary, reacted, “I’m thankful that our state legislature took action to protect minors from irreversible medical procedures and to protect fairness in women’s sports. Today is [a] good day for women and children in Ohio.”
The president of Ohio’s largest Christian public policy organization, Center for Christian Virtue (CCV), also applauded the Senate’s vote to override the governor’s veto.
“No child is born in the wrong body, no matter what powerful and well-funded lobbyists say. Today, Ohio has told an exploitative medical industry that we reject your junk science and will no longer allow you to experiment on our children,” CCV President Aaron Baer said in a statement. “We’ve also guaranteed that every young woman in this state will have a free and fair playing field and will not be forced to compete against boys. This marks a turning point in Ohio: we will not remain silent when [our] children are being harmed.”
Meanwhile, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said he is “prepared” to defend House Bill 68 “against the inevitable legal challenge.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
