Ban On Transgender Treatment For Minors Passes FL Senate

TALLAHASSEE, FL — The Florida Senate passed legislation on Tuesday banning gender-affirming treatment for transgender children in the state and placing restrictions on adults already receiving care.

The bill, SB 254, passed the Senate in a 27-12 vote along party lines. The bill, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Clay Yarborough, prohibits anyone under 18 from undergoing surgery or prescription-based hormone therapies associated with gender-affirming health care.

The legislation also forbids universities, local governments, and state health insurance plans and providers contracted with the state's Medicaid Managed Care program from using public dollars to cover treatment.

"We need to let kids be kids, and our laws need to set appropriate boundaries that respect the rights and responsibilities of parents by protecting children from the very serious health and safety concerns associated with these treatments," Yarborough said, according to a Politico report. "The idea that someone's worth and dignity could come through prescriptions or surgeries could not be more untrue."

The bill now heads to the House, where it is expected to pass.

The legislation expands on similar state health regulations enacted last year when the Florida Board of Medicine and the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine each approved bans on some treatments of gender dysphoria for minors, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender-affirming surgery. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo sought the bans.

The ruling affected only new patients seeking treatment, the New York Times reported.

The bans go against recommendations made by several professional medical groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society, and the American Medical Association, which consider gender-affirming treatments safe for minors.

In 2022, Florida health officials also banned state Medicaid insurance coverage for treating gender dysphoria for all ages.

Four families have since filed a federal lawsuit challenging Florida's prohibition against puberty-blocking hormones and gender-affirming surgeries for minors. The lawsuit filed in Tallahassee federal court against Ladapo and the state boards of medicine and osteopathic medicine claims the ban violates the Constitution's equal protection clause by singling out transgender minors and blocking them from obtaining medically necessary care for gender dysphoria.

According to the bill text, if the current legislation becomes law, it would grant the Florida court system emergency jurisdiction in child custody cases where a child is receiving or "being threatened with" gender-affirming prescriptions or surgical procedures.

Under the bill, it would also become a felony for healthcare practitioners to provide treatment to minors.

The measure does include an exemption for children currently receiving puberty blockers or hormone therapy to treat gender dysphoria.

Finally, the proposed bill includes additional restrictions for adults. According to the bill, one restriction requires adults to sign consent forms for treatment, preventing the use of telehealth services to provide care.

Some Democratic lawmakers have called the bill "persecution, plain and simple," according to a WKMG report.

"I will not co-sign on vilifying young people who are trying just to be who they are, vilifying parents when they want to seek gender-affirming care, vilifying physicians who provide this care," Sen. Geraldine Thompson said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.