By Jo Yurcaba -
NBC News
Florida became the eighth state Thursday to restrict gender transition care for minors, after the state enacted a law barring minors from starting puberty-blocking drugs or hormone therapy.
After months of tense hearings and debates, the Florida Medical Board approved the measure, which parents of trans minors have announced they will challenge in court.
Those who had already started the treatment prior to the entry into force of the norm may continue with it, although they are prohibited from undergoing gender affirmation surgeries.
The Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine will promulgate an identical standard on March 28.
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In public hearings for both regulations, members of the Board of Medicine
asserted that there is not enough research to justify possible side effects of the treatments
.
In a public hearing on February 10, some people shared their testimony, claiming that
the rule contradicted most medical evidence
, as well as guidelines from nearly every major medical association in the country, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association.
Hector Vila, a pediatric anesthesiologist and member of the Medical Board, objected, arguing that the board has "reviewed hundreds of studies."
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“We have spoken with doctors and received testimonials supporting and opposing the issue, and the overwhelming data does not support” the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy, Vila said.
“This board is not against science;
he is not against care for transgender children,” she stated.
"What the board seeks is to protect our children from therapies that have been shown to create irreversible damage."
The rule establishes that
anyone can file a complaint against a health professional
, and if they are found to be in violation of the measure, they may face a sanction, a fine, or the suspension or revocation of their professional license, among other consequences.
The rule will face a legal battle led by a group of parents represented by four leading LGBTQ rights advocacy organizations: Southern Legal Counsel, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Human Rights Campaign.
Testimonials from affected people
One of the plaintiffs, identified as Jane Doe, said in a statement that the ban will prevent her 11-year-old trans daughter from accessing the treatment she will need when she reaches puberty.
“Our daughter is a happy and self-confident child, but
to deny her access to medical care recommended by her doctors would completely turn her life upside down
,” she lamented.
"I am devastated by what this will mean for her physical and mental health."
A group of people protest during a meeting of the Florida Medical Board and the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine on November 4, 2022. Orlando Sentinel / TNS
Another Florida mother who joined the lawsuit on behalf of her 14-year-old son, stressed that the rule strips "parents like me of our right to ensure that our children receive appropriate and evidence-based medical care."
"My son was finally reaching a point where he felt hopeful, where the testosterone prescription was on the horizon and he could see a future in his own body, but this discriminatory norm has taken it away from him," he lamented in a statement.
“I am very concerned about the impact the lack of access to medical treatment will have on my son
.
It's every parent's worst nightmare to have to worry about the unthinkable."
The Florida Medical Board and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine did not return a request for comment.
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Following a request in June from the state Department of Health, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration
in August banned Medicaid from covering puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery
as gender dysphoria treatments for patients of any age.
Although the measure was challenged by civil rights groups, a federal judge ruled in October that it stand.
A Senate committee approved a bill in the state legislature on Monday that would bar minors from starting puberty blockers or hormone therapy and undergoing surgery to treat gender dysphoria, as well as from state funds covering care. related to transition for patients of any age.
The bill will be reviewed by another committee and must be approved by the full Senate and House of Representatives before being sent to the governor.
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The measure will also grant jurisdiction to courts in child custody cases "to protect them from being subjected to prescriptions or sex reassignment procedures."
Although it will allow those who are already receiving them to continue to do so, but they will need to be administered by a doctor rather than a nurse or other licensed healthcare professional.
Other states with similar measures
Eight states — Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Mississippi, and now Florida — restrict
gender transition-related
health care for minors.
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So far this year, Florida legislators have introduced 10 bills against the LGBTQ community, said the American Civil Liberties Union, which specified that nationwide the number exceeds 400 initiatives of this type.
Jim Lopresti, founder of SunServe, a mental health services agency that supports LGBTQ youth in Fort Lauderdale, said he has already seen the consequences of the proposed and passed legislation on his patients and their families, as well as the debate over the rule of thumb. the Medical Board.
"Where we are discovering more problems and concerns is in the stress in families and youth, who for all the anti-LGBTQ initiatives in Florida, are finding few safe places to turn," he lamented.
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Advocates of gender-affirming care restrictions argue that minors might regret the transition later, but Lopresti said that in nearly two decades of working with trans youth, she only remembers one person who lived through it as an adult and became because he did not have adequate support during the process.
“When we hear about regret it is people from the trans community who regret not having done it sooner: that is a much more frequent experience,” he said.
