Florida’s rule banning transgender treatment on minors takes effect

A new regulation that prohibits minors from undergoing gender transitioning procedures has taken effect in Florida, even as Republican state lawmakers plan to strengthen the restrictions even further.

From Thursday, doctors performing gender transition surgery or prescribing puberty blockers to treat gender dysphoria to those under 18 could see their medical license getting revoked.

Although minors who are currently getting treated with puberty blockers or hormone therapies before Thursday would be allowed to continue the treatment, however they won’t be able to undergo sex reassignment surgeries under the new rule.

Moreover, GOP politicians are currently pushing through a bill in the Florida Senate that will make it a felony to provide any such gender-affirming care to minors, as well as ban state funds from being used to cover the same care for adults, reports CBS News.

Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to run against Joe Biden in 2024, is among the GOP lawmakers nationwide targeting gender-affirming care for minors.

The Democrats have said that they will file a lawsuit in the coming months and challenge the rule.

The proponents of the rule argue that that gender-affirming treatment for youths is experimental and not backed by robust clinical research.

Earlier, Joe Biden criticised the regulation saying that it’s not like a child wakes up one day and decides to change their gender.

“It’s just terrible what they’re doing,” Biden told “The Daily Show” earlier this week.

“It’s not like, you know, a kid wakes up one morning and says, ‘You know, I decided I wanted to become a man,’ or ‘I want to become a woman’ … I mean, what are they thinking about here?”

“It’s cruel,” the President added.

DeSantis hit back, tweeting, “It is not ‘sinful’ to prohibit the mutilation of minors. It is not acceptable for the federal government to mandate that procedures like sex change operations be allowed for kids.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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