“Trans” Disinformation Behind Ohio Governor Veto Of Bill To Protect Kids

January 11, 2024

When Ohio governor Mike DeWine vetoed HB 68 on Friday December 29, he said he was doing it to protect kids. Specifically, he said the issue is about “protecting human life” and that although he shares some of the concerns of the bill’s proponents, “many parents have told me that their child would be dead today if they had not received the treatment they received from an Ohio children's hospital.” What he was saying was that children who feel discomfort with their sex will kill themselves if they do not receive so-called “gender affirming care” (i.e., hormones and/or surgery to “affirm their gender”).

But that’s not true. Studies have shown that although minors who experience stress over their sexed bodies do experience higher than normal levels of suicide and suicidality (ideation and non-lethal harm), actual rates of suicide remain low and that comparing such minors to the general population is inapt.

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