FLORIDA DOCTORS WHO TREAT TRANS KIDS CAN LOSE MEDICAL LICENSE

Stories were shared. Rallies were held. Petitions were signed. Doctors spoke up. But it wasn’t enough for the Florida Board of Medicine.

As of March 16, doctors can lose their license to practice medicine if they treat minors for gender dysphoria, whether it be through puberty blockers, hormone therapy or surgery. The Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine’s own rules align with the Board of Medicine, and its rules will go into effect on March 28.

People who began gender-affirming hormone therapy prior to March 16 are exempt from the law and can continue their treatment. Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida shared on its site that unfortunately, it cannot treat new patients, but provided resources for where families can seek care outside of Florida.

However, Florida legislators want to block parents from being able to do that. Florida Sen. Clay Yarborough, a Republican, has introduced a bill that would “protect the child from being subjected to sex-reassignment prescriptions or producers in another state” and could impact a parent’s custodial rights to their children.

The Compass Community Center in Lake Worth Beach responded with care to families impacted.

“We know people and families are scared and worried. We are here for you, and we will work together to find solutions for families who need help,” they wrote on Facebook.

To lawmakers, they wrote, “We realize you may not understand the medical science that confirms the importance of this care. We are here to answer any questions you have.”

The road to the ruling began last summer, when the Florida Department of Health called on the Florida Board of Medicine to create standards of care for youth with gender dysphoria. The board met multiple times throughout the fall, including August in Dania Beach, and made its final decision on Feb. 10 in Tallahassee. After two hours of testimony, the boards voted in 10 minutes to not allow doctors to conduct gender reassignment surgery or any surgical procedures that alter one’s primary or secondary sex features. It also eliminates the prescription or puberty blocking hormones and hormone antagonist therapy.

“Despite a mountain of evidence and testimony, Florida officials give every impression that they are moving toward a preordained result, ignoring the very real harms that this rule would impose on a vulnerable population,” Sarah Warbelow, the Human Rights Campaign’s legal director, said in a statement at the time of the vote.

Governors in Alabama, Arkansas, South Dakota, Tennessee and Utah have signed into law restrictions on treating gender dysphoria, according to NBC News. However, the bans in Alabama and Arkansas have been blocked by federal judges as lawsuits have been filed.

These rulings and laws go against a litany of health organizations who approve of gender-affirming care, including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Association of Social Workers, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Endocrine Society, National Alliance on Mental Illness, and World Professional Association for Transgender Health.

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