Gov. DeWine failed Ohio’s kids — the legislature must make it right

Ohio lawmakers are presented with a final opportunity to guard children against "gender affirming care". It is crucial that they not be misled by Governor Mike DeWine's watered-down executive order, which prohibits gender transition surgeries but does nothing to prevent chemical castration of susceptible children or defend equal chances for girls in sports. It is essential that these legislators urgently counteract his irresponsible veto of the Safe Act, a significant law that defends children against the administration of puberty blockers, sex change hormones, and gender transition surgeries. By vetoing the Safe Act, Governor DeWine, dismissed the pleas of the victims of gender transition procedures. DeWine’s rationale for vetoing the law was outlined in his veto statement, where he affirmed that his decision seeks to preserve lives and avoid state interference in choices parents should make for their children. He referred to parents of transgender children who maintained that in the absence of gender transition procedures, their children might resort to suicide. Although DeWine is right that numerous parents of transgender children hold this belief true, he appears to overlook the fact that this belief is predicated on the fallacy that the only solution to their children’s gender dysphoria is permanent physical alteration. "Gender affirming care" for minors serves the interest of gender clinics and pharmaceutical giants. It is unsurprising that some physicians convince healthy young children that a life-long regimen of medications and surgeries is the solution to their woes. Some doctors at gender clinics suggest gender transition procedures, circumventing less intrusive interventions such as counseling and therapy aimed to address other concurrent issues first. It often takes just one or two short consultations with a counselor or psychotherapist, in conjunction with an agreeable doctor. Some physicians conspire to convince parents that the only options for their children are double mastectomies and puberty blockers, asserting, “Would you prefer a dead daughter or a live son?" Such an ultimatum grossly misrepresents the reality and deprives parents of informed consent. Doctors endorsing such claims overlook studies showing that the mental health of children undergoing "gender affirming care" does not always improve and suicide rates remain higher compared to the general population. At the Center for American Liberty, my associates and I represent three young women who were cornered into gender transitions as minors and are now suing the hospitals and physicians who caused them permanent harm. For instance, one of my clients was merely 12 when she confessed to having gender dysphoria. Subsequently, her doctors assured her that the only recourse was radical and immediate medical intervention to avert suicide. She was placed on puberty blockers and hormone treatment between age 13 and 16 and underwent a double mastectomy at 15. Her experience is not rare. All three clients regretted the procedures compelled onto them by doctors and have since detransitioned, living with the permanent scars and trauma inflicted on them. Governor DeWine defaulted on protecting Ohio's children from a similar ordeal. He yielded to a trend that denies science and turns children into lifelong patients. The state’s obligation should be towards shielding children from harm without diplomatic niceties. However, Governor DeWine’s executive order leaves vulnerable children, particularly girls, unprotected from the gender-affirming care industry. Treatments involving puberty blockers and sex change hormones cause irreversible damage to minors, affecting bone density and reproductive health among other bodily functions. Ohio lawmakers must prioritize children’s welfare over the profits of pharmaceutical companies. This law, embodying the people’s will and being less prone to future changes than an executive order, is but the first step towards holding the gender transition industry liable. Further measures, such as extending the legal time limit for lawsuits against doctors who conduct sex change procedures, are necessary. Ohio lawmakers must counteract Governor DeWine’s veto of the SAFE Act and take Ohio’s children's safeguarding seriously.