Florida health officials on Friday, Nov. 4 voted to forbid doctors from providing “gender-affirming care” to minors in the state.
Meeting in Orlando, the Florida Board of Medicine and state Board of Osteopathic Medicine voted 6-3, with five members not present, to ban the prescribing of puberty blockers or hormones and performing of sex-reassignment surgery for children. Minors already receiving the drugs may continue treatment.
The act does allow non-surgical treatments for gender dysphoria in minors to continue under the auspices of the Institutional Review Board, though such clinical trials must include long-term longitudinal psychological assessments.
Florida Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo stated on Friday: “Today, the Boards of Medicine & Osteo Medicine voted to protect our children from irreversible surgeries & highly experimental treatments. I appreciate their integrity for ruling in the best interest of FL children despite facing tremendous pressure to permit these risky & unproven treatments. Children deserve to learn how to navigate this world without harmful pressure. Florida will continue to fight for kids to be kids.”…