Medina Today

Sec. of State Frank LaRose (R-Ohio), who is running for U.S. Senate, said he was thankful for the state legislature’s override of Gov. Mike DeWine’s (R-Ohio) veto of HB68, the “Enact Ohio Saving Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act.”

“I'm thankful that our state legislature took action to protect minors from irreversible medical procedures and to protect fairness in women's sports,” LaRose posted on X. “Today is good day for women and children in Ohio.”

On Dec. 29, 2023, DeWine vetoed HB68, which would have banned the chemical castration of minors in Ohio, and prohibited men from participating in girls’ sports. The Ohio Senate overrode DeWine's veto on a 24-8 vote, and the House overrode the veto on a vote of 65-28.

State Sen. Mark Romanchuk (R-Ontario) and State Rep. Sharon Ray (R- ), both of whom represent Medina, both voted to override DeWine's veto.

State Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery), the sponsor of the bill, said following the legislature’s override that “it is hard to fathom that we live in a society that would tell children that they need drugs and scalpels to live their authentic lives or that treats women as second-class citizens in their own spaces.”

LaRose is running in Ohio’s March 19, 2024 Republican primary for U.S. Senate. The winner will challenge Democrat Sherrod Brown, who is running for his fourth term.

His opponents are State Sen. Matt Dolan (R-Chardon) and former auto dealer Bernie Moreno of Westlake.

LaRose represented Summit County in the Ohio State Senate (2011-2018) before being elected Ohio Secretary of State in 2019. He previously served in the U.S. Army, where he was a member of U.S. Special Forces as a Green Beret, and earned a B.S. from the Ohio State University.

An Akron native, LaRose, 44, lives in Columbus with his wife and three daughters.