Gender reassignment treatments for minors prohibited by elected officials
Elected officials in Florida passed a law on Thursday that would bar doctors from providing hormone treatments and gender reassignment surgery to minors.
Governor Ron DeSantis has supported the measure.
AFP
The text prohibits surgeries, anti-puberty treatments or taking hormones. It is part of a national conservative attack on gender and sexuality issues. Elected officials in more than a dozen states, including Idaho, Indiana or Georgia, have passed laws to ban this transitional care, sometimes punishing doctors who violate the rule.
To become law, the text still needs to be signed by Ron DeSantis, which is beyond doubt. The 44-year-old governor, who is rumored to be ready to run for the White House, has turned Florida into a laboratory for his more conservative policies, particularly on moral issues.
He is the promoter of the much-criticized “Don’t Say Gay” law that severely restricts or prevents the teaching of sexual orientation and gender-related subjects in schools.
The text on transitional remedies received full support from Republican majorities in both chambers. The Democrats, opposed, could do nothing.
“Real Effects”
“Words are not enough to create something that does not exist. Changing gender is impossible,” Republican Ralph Masullo said during a debate in the local House of Representatives. “For the children affected by this law, they cannot change gender, they have to accept this fact,” he added, according to the “Miami Herald”.
However, the law includes an exception for minors who are already receiving hormones or puberty blockers. At the same time, it restricts the access of adults to intermediate treatments by prohibiting the use of public funds or their administration by teleconsultation by a doctor.
The vote on the text angered groups like Equality Florida, which defends LGBT+ rights. “This is an attack on medical freedom and parental freedom,” John Harris, one of its officials, said in a statement. “This is a political crusade, but it has real consequences for Florida families.”
AFP
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