(Republicaninformer.com)- Last Friday, Florida’s Board of Medicine and its Board of Osteopathic Medicine both approved a new rule that will ban the surgical and chemical mutilation of minors, including receiving puberty blockers, hormones, and gender reassignment surgeries.
The move follows an August request from Florida’s Surgeon General Joseph Ladopo to prohibit “transgender” medical procedures for children.
Before the vote, both boards held public hearings on the issue where they heard expert testimony along with allowing public comment from both supporters and opponents of the potential ban.
Those supporting the ban argued that minors aren’t equipped to make the decision to undergo radical and often irreversible procedures, including castration and mastectomies. Opponents argued that “gender-affirming” care should not be withheld from children.
Speakers included transgenders who claimed that undergoing irreversible medical procedures helped them embrace their chosen identity.
Other speakers included those who had undergone “transgender” procedures at a young age and now regret it.
With the vote, Florida now joins the medical authorities from countries like Norway, Finland, Sweden, and the UK that have also concluded that the evidence behind the efficacy of medical gender transitioning for minors is poor and the risks too great.
Once the rule goes into effect, Florida will be the first state in the country where a state medical board has banned transgender procedures for minors.
In making the decision, the committee cited the poor quality of the evidence supporting the use of medical transition intervention for children. It suggested that psychotherapy is the more appropriate treatment for adolescents who adopt a “trans” identity.
The new standard of care adopted will prohibit Florida doctors from prescribing puberty blockers and hormones, or performing surgeries on patients until they turn 18. Doctors who disregard the rules would risk losing their Florida medical licenses.
The rule includes a grandfather clause permitting those minors who are already undergoing treatment to continue.
