Florida lawmakers passed a law on Thursday that prohibits doctors from administering hormone treatments and gender-transitional surgery to minors, a move backed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The text prohibits surgical operations, treatments blocking puberty or taking hormones.
It is part of a national conservative offensive on gender and sexuality issues. The elected officials of a dozen states, including Idaho, Indiana or Georgia, have passed laws to ban this transitional care, sometimes with penalties for doctors who violate the rule.
To become law, the text must still 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 made Florida a laboratory for his very conservative policies, particularly in matters of morals.
He is the promoter of a strongly criticized law dubbed “Don’t say gay”, which strongly restricts or even prevents the teaching in schools of subjects related to sexual orientation and to gender.
The text on transitional treatments received the full support of the Republican majority in both chambers. The Democrats, opposed, could not do anything.
“Words are not enough to make something exist that does not exist. It is impossible to change sex,” said Republican Ralph Massullo during the debates in the local House of Representatives.
“As for the children affected by this law, they cannot change sex, they must accept this fact,” he added according to the Miami Herald.
However, the law includes an exception for minors who are already receiving hormones or a puberty blocker.
At the same time, it limits adults’ access to transitional treatments by prohibiting the use of public funds or their administration by a doctor via a teleconsultation.
The vote on this text angered associations like Equality Florida, which defends LGBT + rights.
“This is an attack on medical freedom and parental freedom,” one of its officials, Jon Harris, said in a statement. “It’s a political crusade, but it has real consequences for Florida families.”