Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is trying to ban doctors from providing minors with transitional care and therapies.
On Thursday, DeSantis submitted a request asking the state medical board to block doctors from helping minors with transition-related medical procedures and therapies, possibly including hormone therapies, puberty blockers and gender reassignment surgeries.
The state of Florida is split on the issue, as some agencies are questioning how safe hormone therapies and other medical procedures related to gender-transitioning care. He’s also seeking to block Medicaid payments being used for transition care, NBC News reports.
“While some professional organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Endocrine Society, recommend these treatments for ‘gender affirming’ care, the scientific evidence supporting these complex medical interventions is extraordinarily weak,” said Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, who is leading the push for DeSantis and wrote the letter, NBC News reports.
On the other hand, some say the ban goes against the rights parents have to their children.
“It’s unconstitutional for the government to step in and deprive youth — and especially trans youth — of getting the necessary medical care they need,” said Gary Howell, a psychologist who works with transgender youth and adult patients in Tampa, Florida, NBC News reports.
