Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida implemented fresh legislation on Wednesday, which places restrictions on the accessibility of healthcare that supports the gender identity of transgender individuals, including both adults and minors.
The critics of SB 254, also known as the “abduction” bill in Florida, claim that it allows for children to be legally kidnapped if one parent opposes the procedures or prescriptions for sex-reassignment of the threatened or subject child, and the other parent disagrees.
Clay Senator Yarborough, who introduced the bill, argued that both parents should have a say in whether a child should receive gender-affirming care. He stated that the bill is meant to protect children from life-altering surgeries and therapies for gender dysphoria.
Florida’s bills against LGBTQ rights: A summary of the bills in Florida causing ‘enormous panic’ within transgender and LGBTQ communities.
Senate Bill 254 reaches the office of Governor DeSantis: Restrictions on transgender medical care are endorsed by the Florida Legislature and forwarded to Governor DeSantis.
The bill requires doctors, nurse practitioners, and other healthcare workers, such as nurse assistants and care practitioners, to begin providing care to adult patients who violate certain sections of the law as a misdemeanor in the first degree. However, the bill prohibits the use of telehealth and restricts the administration of gender-affirming care to adult patients by a physician. Additionally, the legislation reported by Democrat Tallahassee stated that it wanted to restrict care for both transgender youth and adults, but it was not as wide-reaching as initially reported.
Custody disagreements may impact the legal system, even though the state is prohibited from unlawfully taking children, as concluded by Politifact. The endorsement of gender-affirming treatments for young individuals is backed by prominent medical associations such as the American Psychiatric Association, the Endocrine Society, the World Health Organization, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, along with nearly all widely recognized medical organizations.
Advocacy groups for the LGBTQ community said last week that they plan to ask a judge to block the law as part of an ongoing lawsuit against the Board of Medicine’s ban on medicine.
Here is a breakdown of the contents of the bill:
The Florida bill would grant temporary emergency jurisdiction to courts if a child in the state has been abandoned, or if a child’s parent or sibling is threatened or subjected to abuse or mistreatment and sex-reassignment procedures or prescriptions are deemed necessary.
People under 18 can no longer receive gender-affirming care unless they qualify for an exception
The Florida Statute 456.001 states that the section 5, which deals with prescriptions and procedures for sex-reassignment, prohibits patients under the age of 18. The Osteopathic Medicine and Medicine Board will have 60 days to adopt emergency rules pertaining to the practice standards for minors who may continue to be treated with a consistent prescription.
Transition-related medical care encompasses the use of puberty blockers, hormones, and surgical interventions. It is typically advised to reserve gender-affirmation surgery for adults, despite DeSantis’ assertion that such medical care constitutes child mutilation. Medical interventions for children are initiated only after the onset of puberty.
State funds are prohibited from being used for gender-affirming care
Another part of the legislation forbids any “government entity” from using state funds for sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures.
What can I do if I’m a transgender individual residing in Florida, where the state is eliminating transgender choices?
Parents can apply for a warrant to receive physical custody of a child
If a parent believes that their child is likely to suffer serious physical harm or imminent physical harm, they can file a verified petition seeking enforcement of child custody determination under Section 2 of the bill. This petition allows them to request the issuance of a warrant to take physical custody of the child.
The passage clearly states that severe physical damage “encompasses, but is not restricted to,” being subjected to sex-reassignment prescriptions and procedures.
Florida bills that aim to address diversity programs and pronouns in schools are making their way to DeSantis.
Limiting drag shows and Pride celebrations: The House in Florida passes three bills targeting transgender individuals in just one day.
Physicians must be in the room with adults receiving gender-affirming care, barring the use of telehealth services
The doctors in the same section must physically be present in the patient’s room when performing a procedure or administering a pharmaceutical product, as well as when prescribing it.
In order to initiate treatment, other healthcare professionals such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants are prohibited from carrying out these procedures, necessitating that only physicians are authorized to do so.
The Democrat in Tallahassee reported that at least one clinic in Florida, serving patients in Melbourne and Orlando, provides gender-affirming care for uncertain patients under the Health SPEKTRUM bill, with care being provided only by nurse practitioners.
Absolutely devastated, I’ve spent the last year trying to raise awareness and help avoid that impending disaster, as Joey Knoll, the CEO of Democrat, told me on Thursday.