Florida Legislature 2023 – In order to prevent anyone under the age of 18 from receiving gender-affirming medical treatment, Republican state Senator Clay Yarborough of the Florida legislature 2023 has introduced a measure, SB 254, that would outlaw any surgery or prescription-only hormone therapy.
Gender-affirming medical therapy is now not permitted for kids who have not started treatment, according to a Florida board of medicine regulation. Federal court litigation is anticipated to be challenged. (Photo by AP)
Florida Legislature 2023 SB 254 – would outlaw any surgery or prescription-only hormone therapy. The law also prohibits the use of public funds for the treatment of medical conditions by universities, local governments, state employees’ health insurance programs, and businesses affiliated with the Medicaid Managed Care program in the state.
The administration of Governor Ron DeSantis is attempting to prevent Medicaid from paying for some treatments for transgender persons, such as hormone therapy and drugs to prevent puberty. National and state legal and LGBTQ advocacy groups are prepared to oppose this move. (Photo by CBSNews)
Florida Legislature 2023: SB 254 approved on party lines
The bill is currently on its way to the House, where the closely related Florida legislature 2023 HB 1421 is ready to be discussed on the chamber’s floor. Both bills would grant state courts temporary emergency jurisdiction in child custody cases where a child in Florida is receiving “or being threatened” with taking prescription hormone blockers or having surgery while in the care of a parent in another state, though there are differences between the two bills.
The testimony of those who opposed the legislation during committee hearings was also brought up by Senate Democrats, who claimed that it and the agency rulemaking from the previous year had prompted some transgender kids to consider suicide. Transgender youngsters believe that the Florida Legislature 2023 has rejected who they are, according to Democratic state Senator Shevrin Jones, who is the first out Black LGBT lawmaker in the history of the state.
Gender-affirming care for adults and children is supported by health advocacy organizations including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Surgery is rarely, if ever, a part of children’s gender-affirming care, according to medical professionals. In contrast, psychotherapy, social transitioning, and hormone replacement treatment are more frequently advised by doctors.
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Florida Legislature 2023: SB 254 Expands similar rules that DeSantis fought last year implementing new health care standards
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, which DeSantis is in charge of, prohibited the Medicaid program in the state from covering gender-affirming procedures and hormone therapy treatments in August after the agency’s report found that there was insufficient proof that the risks outweighed the benefits.
One of DeSantis’ top health advisers, state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, used that AHCA report to persuade the two state medical boards to adopt care standards, which prohibited all doctors from performing surgeries and prescribing medications for minors, in November. A coalition of transgender rights organizations has filed legal challenges against the restrictions put in place by the medical boards and AHCA in the federal court in Tallahassee. According to federal court documents, both legal proceedings were still active as of Tuesday.
13 states in the US have passed laws prohibiting the care of transgender people, including Florida. According to the Human Rights Campaign, 19 additional states are considering taking similar action.
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