DeWine talks abortion, Ohio redistricting, seat belts during Columbus Metropolitan Club forum

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine was the guest speaker during a recent Columbus Metropolitan Club weekly forum.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine answered questions about abortion, redistricting, lawmakers overriding his vetoes and the power struggle in the Ohio House during the most recent Columbus Metropolitan Club weekly forum.

Statehouse News Bureau reporter Jo Ingles asked DeWine several questions during the hour-long forum and here is a rundown of what the governor had to say. 

Overriding DeWine’s vetoes

The Ohio legislature overrode two of DeWine’s vetoes earlier this year — one banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth and the other blocks cities from banning flavored tobacco sales. 

The gender-affirming care ban was set to take effect at the end of April, but a Franklin County Court of Common Pleas judge issued a temporary restraining order on the bill. 

When asked if DeWine feels at odds with Ohio’s legislative leaders, he acknowledged “there’s some areas where we have disagreed.” 

“Sometimes they’ve overwritten me and sometimes they’ve not, and we may disagree in the future, but on the essential things, that the average Ohioan cares about — their family, their kids, their safety, their future, this legislature — has been with me on virtually every one of those things,” he said. 

Power struggle in Ohio House

The drama that stems from how House Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, came to power in January 2023 has caused ripple effects in the House ever since. 

The Republican caucus had previously selected state Rep. Derek Merrin, R-Monclova, as their speaker months before the full House floor vote, but 22 Republicans and all the Democrats voted for Stephens during the actual vote. 

When asked what impact this will have on getting his plans through the legislature, DeWine said he respects the separation of the executive and legislative branches. 

“The governor should not be telling the House who to have as speaker,” he said. “We shouldn’t be telling the Senate who to have as Senate president. I shouldn’t be getting involved in that. And so I don’t.”

Abortion

Ohio voters overwhelmingly passed a constitutional amendment to protect abortion and reproductive rights in November. DeWine has repeatedly said he accepts the results, but reiterated his pro-life stance. 

“I believe that we’re dealing with a human life here,” he said. “… I think one of the things that’s very, very important is that we do everything in our power to assist a pregnant mom, who is facing a difficult situation for any number of reasons.”

In the wake of the November election, many lawsuits have been filed and legislative measures are moving through the Ohio Statehouse. 

“Anybody can walk into a courthouse in Ohio today and file a lawsuit about any law today,” DeWine said. “And they have every right to do that. And we have to respect the process. I respect that process.”

Redistricting

DeWine agreed not having elected officials involved in the redistricting process is good, but stopped short of saying he supports the Citizens Not Politicians proposed constitutional amendment which would make a 15-member citizen redistricting commission. Under the proposed amendment, no current or former politicians would be on the commission. 

“I’m still looking at this one,” DeWine said. “And you know, at some point, I’ll announce my position.”

DeWine was a member of the Ohio Redistricting Commission for the last two years as the group went through the mapdrawing process for statehouse and congressional districts. The governor is one of the positions listed as part of the commission under the current process.

“It’s my personal choice to never be involved in that again, so maybe I have a little bias and don’t want elected officials involved, because I sure don’t want to be involved in it again,” he said. “My position is it didn’t work very well. And we need to do something else. And we need not to have elected officials directly involved in it.”

Seat belt laws

DeWine made a point to advocate for stricter seat belt laws in Ohio throughout last week’s forum. 

“If you want to save the most lives, the easiest way is to pass a seat belt law,” he said.

Currently, a police officer must stop a driver for another violation before issuing a seat belt citation. 

State Rep. Jon Cross, R-Findlay, plans on introducing a bill that would make not wearing a seat belt a primary offense. 

“The goal of this legislation is to save lives and to increase safety on our roads,” Cross said in a news release. “Many other states have made not wearing a seat belt a primary offense and it’s time for Ohio to follow suit.”

In 2023, 49,768 of the 252,000 crashes reported to the Ohio State Highway Patrol were unbelted, according to AAA.

Follow OCJ Reporter Megan Henry on X.

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