Florida bans treatment for minors with gender dysphoria

A measure issued by the Florida (U.S.) Medical Board that. prohibits minors from receiving hormones. or gender reassignment treatments went into effect Thursday, a restriction that excludes children and adolescents who had already begun gender affirmation guidelines.

Under the new state medical rule, minors who experience gender dysphoria are no longer able to make changes to their body to transition.

The ban occurs after the Florida Medical Board approved in August 2022 the development of measures denying transition to minors under 18 years of age.i.e. the application of hormones, puberty blockers and surgeries to treat so-called gender dysphoria.

The medical board placed the issue on the agenda after receiving a request from the Floridian Department of Health, which noted that. there is insufficient research to demonstrate that these procedures are safe.

The position of the governor of Florida

The prohibition is in line with Florida Governor’s criteriaRon DeSantis, a Republican, who has expressed on multiple occasions his support for the rejection of “gender affirming” treatments.

DeSantis went so far as to say that doctors who perform such surgical procedures should be prosecuted.

During the recent speech that kicked off this month’s legislative session, DeSantis mentioned to. Chloe Colewho took puberty blockers and underwent a double mastectomy when she was a teenager and then regretted her decision.

But some LGBTQ advocates warn that. minors with dysphoria who do not receive gender-affirming care may find themselves in a more detrimental to their mental healthwith possible risks of suicide.

“I am appalled by the rule. The measure will harm children and families and threaten the practice of medicine,” Kellan Baker, executive director of the Whitma-Walker Institute, an LGBTQ-focused health care organization.