COLUMBUS (CN) — Ohio Republicans used supermajorities in both the House and state Senate to push through House Bill 68 despite vociferous objections from Democrats and a veto of the law by Republican Governor Mike DeWine this month.
The House had previously voted to override DeWine's vetoer this month, and Wednesday's 23-9 vote in the state Senate was largely expected.
A three-fifths majority was required, and the bill will now become law in 90 days.
DeWine broke ranks with Republicans when he vetoed the bill at the end of 2023, a decision he said came after extensive discussions with health care providers and transgender families.
A large number of senators spoke before the vote, and there were also several minor interruptions as vocal protesters were removed from the gallery.
State Senator Kristina Roegner, a Republican from District 27 in Hudson, was the first to speak in favor of the override and decried the "horrific procedures" she claimed would be inflicted upon transgender children if gender-affirming care remained legal.
"There is no such thing as a gender spectrum," she said. "From the moment of conception, you are either male or female."
Minority Whip Kent Smith, a Democrat from Euclid in District 21, spoke against the override and urged his fellow lawmakers to follow the example set by former Colorado Governor Ralph Carr who, in the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941 welcomed Japanese-Americans to Colorado while others sought to intern them in prison camps to prevent espionage.
Smith also noted several Republican senators had tweeted quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the recent holiday and implored them to adhere to King's message with their votes.
"Ohioans will be judging you today based on the content of your character and whether you live up to the example set by Dr. King," Smith said. "This legislation is the exact opposite of the American dream."
Majority Whip Theresa Gavarone from Bowling Green and District 2 questioned the sincerity of her opponents' political beliefs in her comments and whether they truly believe the government should stay out of citizens' medical decisions.
"The hypocrisy is astounding when it comes to government interference," she said. "When the government shut down schools [during the Covid-19 pandemic] and wanted a vaccine mandate, you were A-OK with it."
"What are we doing as a society when we can't just let kids be kids?" she asked. "I believe Governor DeWine has good intentions, but good intentions do not make good policy."
Democrat and Minority Leader Nickie Antonio from District 23 in Lakewood was the final senator to speak before the vote, and she asked her colleagues not only to respect DeWine's veto, but also to respect the will of the people.
"A majority of the voters spoke when they told us in November that the government shouldn't be involved in their personal, private health decisions. None of us should underestimate the gravity and the difficulty of those decisions," she said.
The remarks referenced the passage of Issue 1 in the 2023 election cycle, a measure that enshrined the right to an abortion in the state constitution.
That measure passed alongside Issue 2, which legalized recreational marijuana, but a growing liberal trend among Ohio's electorate has done little to slow a thoroughly conservative legislature.
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